By Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
As the British General Election cycle heats up — they election is just a few days away at June 8th — it seems as though something must be up with Jeremy Corbyn given that portions of the British Press are growing pretty hysterical at the prospect of him winning.
I honestly am a clueless American, so I don’t know if what I’m observing is accurate of what is going on or not. But it makes sense that the mood of Great Britain’s populace may have shifted and there could actually be a chance that Britain’s Bernie Sanders may, in fact, win.
Now, there are some things to take into consideration before center-Left people like in America can get all excited that maybe the long-hoped for “Blue Wave” here in the States may first start across the pond. None of this means squat until people have actually voted and I don’t know about Great Britain, but in America a similar point in an election campaign people are so worked up one way or another that the some of the hysterics on the part, of, say The Sun, could, in fact, just be that.
Jeremy Corbyn would bring Britain to its knees within a week if he snatches power as a chaotic alliance would prop him up is the headline that caught my attention on this matter. So, that seems to be the opinion of people who read The Sun. As you know, The Sun has a topless Page 3 girl, so take that into consideration.
But having said all that, for me, a moderate Liberal, if Corbyn won it definitely would put a spring in this American step. It would indicate that maybe the tied is turning against the forces of Trumplandia. Maybe if someone as Leftist and odd ball as Corbyn can win for no other reason than he’s not center-Right, then maybe, just maybe something similar can happen here in the States.
When Margret Thatcher won in the late 1970s, it was looked upon in hindsight as an indication that the Reagan Revolution was about to happen in the States. The American press would probably flip out if Corbyn won, and make a lot of similar comparisons, only for the reverse political spectrum.
Yet it doesn’t take too much thought to realize a Corbyn win might be a goof, a one-off caused by some very specific British conditions. Say what you will about Donald Trump, he is surprisingly good at the divide and conquer tacit and unless something truly astonishing happens, it is very possible he will not only survive but prosper.
Having said that, a Corbyn win would really make me happy on a personal level. For the center-Left in the States, it would signal that maybe, just maybe the pendulum is beginning to swing back towards some sort of sanity and there might just be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel that, for once, isn’t a train.
