Age of Corbyn

At the 2020 general election, Jeremy Corbyn will be nearly 71, making him the oldest person to stand for election as prime minister. Add to this his interesting views on economics and defence, which might appeal to a significant proportion of the population, and we are possibly seeing a different form of politics.

The spin years of Blair and Brown, which concealed a massive amount of incompetence and the ruination of the economy, might now be over and the remnants of their tattered armies still lurking on the Labour benches might find themselves no longer with a platform.

Perhaps if he was to demand the immediate publication of Chilcott, a report in which he is one of the few politicians who is unlikely to feature, then he could further cleanse the party.

For the Conservatives, who govern from seats mainly in the South-east and who are virtually unknown in the north of England, Wales and Scotland, Corbyn presents a real threat.

Not being part of the Westminster “bubble” even though he is a London MP, he is no longer malleable and not likely to agree on back -room deals. However, it is difficult to see if even he can doing anything about the shambolic rplacement for the once great Scottish Labour Party.

The Scottish leader did not sound like one of his greatest supporters when she was asked about his leadership during the campaign.

With the vacuum of policies and general inexperience, the Scottish twig of the Labour movement is going to be dependent on one MP who at least supports many Corbyn policies but is dragged down by its councillors and MSPs.

Bruce D Skivington

Strath

Gairloch, Wester Ross

Along with millions of others, I welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s victory. I have known him for many years; he was a student at my old college the Polytechnic of North London when he left early to become an MP in 1983.

As a Labour Party member, councillor and MEP, I was always on the same side of Jeremy on the big issues of the day such as war and peace, social justice and housing. Our paths parted when I was expelled from Labour in 1998 but we still found ourselves together on many battles. Now I am in the SNP; indeed, I came near to joining Jeremy in the House of Commons as an SNP MP.

The 56 SNP MPs have already often found themselves on the same side as Jeremy in the House of Commons on issues such as welfare reform and the anti-trade union laws.

That is one reason I think SNP members should actively co-operate with him in the fight against austerity, the renewal of Trident and against Tory policies.

Some SNP members have been negative about Jeremy’s victory, citing his opposition to independence. I think they are mistaken since independence in the end will depend on the will of the people of Scotland. I also think he will encourage Scottish Labour to move to the left and at its conference in October it is likely to declare against Trident and TTIP.

If Scottish Labour and Jeremy promise home rule for Scotland they could recover some of their support here and that would be healthy for democracy.

For me, independence is not an end in itself but a means to creating a better, more socially just and peaceful society. The election of Jeremy Corbyn makes that more possible north and south of the Border and we should all welcome it.

Hugh Kerr

Wharton Square

Edinburgh