Read more by John McTernan: Is there a Tory modernisers' case for Brexit?
“This time they did because it leaked. It leaked from that meeting. It’s very annoying because it only happens about a third of the time but it obviously gives them a little bit of extra time. Whenever there is a leak it gives them that advantage. It gives them the advantage on TV as well.”
That’s Seumas Milne, Jeremy Corbyn’s Director of Strategy and Communications, talking to VICE TV’s Ben Ferguson in the fly on the wall documentary Jeremy Corbyn: the Outsider. Milne believes that someone in the staff closest to Corbyn, who helps prepare him for Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), had leaked the Leader’s planned questions for the Prime Minister directly to the Tories. The accusation could not be more serious. Loyal party staff were outraged by it, prompting Labour’s General Secretary Iain McNicol to write reassuring them:
“I wanted to write to you personally regarding the article in today’s Times "Corbyn spin doctor accuses Labour staff of PMQs leaks" and in light of the recent fly-on-the-wall documentary entitled Corbyn: The Outsider. Over the last five years I have seen first-hand the dedication, commitment and professionalism displayed by Party staff on a daily basis. I am incredibly proud of the work that you do, whether with elected representatives, activists and members to campaign and win elections, dealing with members of the public, or making sure our movement reacts quickly and effectively to the disastrous decisions of this dreadful Tory Government, to name but a few.
I wanted you to know, directly, that your work does not go unappreciated or unnoticed. A couple of Conferences ago I said that we were a ‘movement on the march.’ Every single one of you is an integral and vital part of that march.”
He said "I know this matter has upset a great many of you" and promised a meeting with union reps:
There would, of course, have to be a leak enquiry—at least, that's what you'd expect. There isn’t going to be one. A source close to Jeremy Corbyn described Milne's comments as an “aside” and said: “No one is pointing the finger at anyone and no one is blaming anyone. There is no investigation.”
Of course, Seumas Milne had blamed someone—a whole group of people. But there was no need for any investigation because it’s no secret why David Cameron routinely beats Corbyn at PMQs. It’s not leaks or spying of any kind—it is just the sheer difference in ability. Corbyn’s demeanour is that of a frightened supply teacher facing a rowdy class of teenagers. His performance is halting, he speaks in a monotone and lacks confidence. Faced with that Cameron has no difficulty in appearing magisterial. The only danger for him is that he outclasses Corbyn so easily that he looks like a bully.
So, why did Seumas Milne—an experienced journalist—make the comment that he did about leaks? He must have know that anything said while a documentary is being filmed has a chance of being broadcast. And he must have realised how newsworthy the remarks were—and inflammatory too. The answer is obvious—it is what, and more importantly how, Milne thinks. Accusations of leaks with no intention of a leak enquiry are the sign of someone who feels constantly embattled. And that is the Corbynite mindset.
The team—staffers and politicians—who are closest to Corbyn feel that they are always under attack. That attitude comes from the top—in the documentary Corbyn attacks the Guardian, the New Statesman and, at greatest length, the BBC. This isn’t the “us against the world” attitude that can propel a team to greatness. It’s the mentality of the ultra-left where the slightest deviation from the party line is a split and the consequent dynamic creates smaller and smaller groups of the pure.
Jeremy Corbyn: the Movie was revealing in so many ways. It showed the level of incompetence in the leadership team. It highlighted the way that Corbyn makes most of his own worst decisions—he chose not to push Cameron on Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation. You saw that the role of women in the office seems to be that of the Victorian child—to be seen but not heard. And, most important of all, the film revealed the deep-seated sectarian mentality at the heart of the leader’s office. Of course Corbyn has enemies in the party—every leader has them and every leader has to handle them. That task becomes impossible when you multiply their numbers by imagining that there are rats in the ranks. Seeing leaks where there are none is as corrosive as it is destructive. Ultimately, it is self-destructive.
Now read: How Corbynomics could work
“This time they did because it leaked. It leaked from that meeting. It’s very annoying because it only happens about a third of the time but it obviously gives them a little bit of extra time. Whenever there is a leak it gives them that advantage. It gives them the advantage on TV as well.”
That’s Seumas Milne, Jeremy Corbyn’s Director of Strategy and Communications, talking to VICE TV’s Ben Ferguson in the fly on the wall documentary Jeremy Corbyn: the Outsider. Milne believes that someone in the staff closest to Corbyn, who helps prepare him for Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), had leaked the Leader’s planned questions for the Prime Minister directly to the Tories. The accusation could not be more serious. Loyal party staff were outraged by it, prompting Labour’s General Secretary Iain McNicol to write reassuring them:
“I wanted to write to you personally regarding the article in today’s Times "Corbyn spin doctor accuses Labour staff of PMQs leaks" and in light of the recent fly-on-the-wall documentary entitled Corbyn: The Outsider. Over the last five years I have seen first-hand the dedication, commitment and professionalism displayed by Party staff on a daily basis. I am incredibly proud of the work that you do, whether with elected representatives, activists and members to campaign and win elections, dealing with members of the public, or making sure our movement reacts quickly and effectively to the disastrous decisions of this dreadful Tory Government, to name but a few.
I wanted you to know, directly, that your work does not go unappreciated or unnoticed. A couple of Conferences ago I said that we were a ‘movement on the march.’ Every single one of you is an integral and vital part of that march.”
He said "I know this matter has upset a great many of you" and promised a meeting with union reps:
There would, of course, have to be a leak enquiry—at least, that's what you'd expect. There isn’t going to be one. A source close to Jeremy Corbyn described Milne's comments as an “aside” and said: “No one is pointing the finger at anyone and no one is blaming anyone. There is no investigation.”
Of course, Seumas Milne had blamed someone—a whole group of people. But there was no need for any investigation because it’s no secret why David Cameron routinely beats Corbyn at PMQs. It’s not leaks or spying of any kind—it is just the sheer difference in ability. Corbyn’s demeanour is that of a frightened supply teacher facing a rowdy class of teenagers. His performance is halting, he speaks in a monotone and lacks confidence. Faced with that Cameron has no difficulty in appearing magisterial. The only danger for him is that he outclasses Corbyn so easily that he looks like a bully.
So, why did Seumas Milne—an experienced journalist—make the comment that he did about leaks? He must have know that anything said while a documentary is being filmed has a chance of being broadcast. And he must have realised how newsworthy the remarks were—and inflammatory too. The answer is obvious—it is what, and more importantly how, Milne thinks. Accusations of leaks with no intention of a leak enquiry are the sign of someone who feels constantly embattled. And that is the Corbynite mindset.
The team—staffers and politicians—who are closest to Corbyn feel that they are always under attack. That attitude comes from the top—in the documentary Corbyn attacks the Guardian, the New Statesman and, at greatest length, the BBC. This isn’t the “us against the world” attitude that can propel a team to greatness. It’s the mentality of the ultra-left where the slightest deviation from the party line is a split and the consequent dynamic creates smaller and smaller groups of the pure.
Jeremy Corbyn: the Movie was revealing in so many ways. It showed the level of incompetence in the leadership team. It highlighted the way that Corbyn makes most of his own worst decisions—he chose not to push Cameron on Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation. You saw that the role of women in the office seems to be that of the Victorian child—to be seen but not heard. And, most important of all, the film revealed the deep-seated sectarian mentality at the heart of the leader’s office. Of course Corbyn has enemies in the party—every leader has them and every leader has to handle them. That task becomes impossible when you multiply their numbers by imagining that there are rats in the ranks. Seeing leaks where there are none is as corrosive as it is destructive. Ultimately, it is self-destructive.
Now read: How Corbynomics could work
