The announcement of our new labour leader is fast approaching on the political horizon. Following publication of his plans concerning UK economics, domestic policy and the welfare state, many of us are asking ourselves whether or not Mr Corbyn - the man who recently appeared rather elusive when asked by Andrew Marr if he considered himself a Marxist - is indeed too left to see Labour out of the political turmoil it currently finds itself in.
The scepticism towards the viability of Corbyn's plans for the UK is in large part due to his economic policies being somewhat reminiscent of a 'Trotskyite' agenda, an adjective recently employed by Neil Kinock in his analysis of Corbyn's political direction. Despite its hyperbole, the Marxist/Trokskyite label has followed Corbyn throughout the campaign like a cumbersome shadow. So why would a 'far-left' stance necessarily jeopardise Labour's success? How would his apparenty far-left agenda actually look upon implementation? Could it genuinely succeed in shaping Britain into an economically prosperous and altogether fairer country under a Labour majority? These are the questions many of us are currently asking ourselves.
Firstly, we need to be clear about where this apparent 'far-left phobia' has stemmed from. Part of the problem comes from the fact that until now, a Conservative defeat has seemed to require a strong, semi-Blairite force that is able to neutralise a left agenda with a clear stance on domestic policy. However, what Corbyn seems to have outlined is a Labour future that is almost revolutionary in its economic reform plan. The fear of Corbyn treading too far left is thus attributable to labourites' desire to avoid anything resembling a socialist - or indeed marxist - 'coup'. In other words, voters want intelligible, lucid policies that will function for them and the rest of the country, rather than a bottom-up revolution that makes Corbyn reminiscent of Orwell's Snowball.
So how far left is too left? The question at hand echoes a wider debate concerning the current political climate of Britain: Can the UK Left survive, and more importantly, thrive? With the combination of Miliband skeptics and unprecedented UKIP support in the last elections, it would seem that left wing UK politics has hit a brick wall. Amongst raised concerns surrounding UK immigration levels, austerity and youth unemployment, we may indeed be witnessing the slow wilting of the once blossomed rose that is Labour. The fear of a left decline is exacerbated by current attitudes amongst younger voters. Having personally discussed the issue with 18-21 year olds from Greater London entering employment or higher education, some of their comments regarding the UK political sphere are worrying, to put it lightly. 'I voted UKIP because I was applying for jobs that were given to foreign immigrants instead, so I'm having to compete with them which is not fair' reflects some of the feelings shared by young voters and consequently, their potential shift towards the right. Fortunately, attitudes such as this still reside in the minority, however, the worrying fact remains that these sentiments are still existent amongst the next generation of voters; a generation who are expected to improve the state of affairs. So what are the implications of this potential political shift for the UK's Left? If increasing numbers of the younger generation are using their first votes to fuel Farage's fire, it would seem the future looks depressingly bleak for our Left.
A growing concern is that most of the justifications for leaning as far right as UKIP are based on a faulty grasp of the economic intricacies of Britain's political climate, especially in the context of immigration. What we are seeing is a large increase in passion voting. Many of these nationalistic voting choices are simply corollaries of a particular anger or disenchantment at the time, rather than a solid grasp of the political situation or a balanced view of party manifestos. It could be argued that the Left must therefore modernise or die. In order to quell current fears of over-immigration and the perception that certain employment sectors actively favour foreign workers, Labour need to succeed in rejuvenating their image. The next labour leader has a behemoth of a task ahead of him/her: alter the liberal, 'soft touch' perception that has formed over recent years, and appear stronger with more authenticity and lucidity.
In spite of fiery critics, it is clear that Corbyn's success hasn't suffered too drastically. We must appreciate the fact that he is still leading the labour race by a significant majority; this suggests that leaning further left than previous candidates is in no means deterring support from the public. The hope of labour supporters is only that Corbyn - should he gain the shiny red crown - can effectively compete against the blue wave of Conservatism through proposing effective, realistic policies that can be implemented within the current economic climate. What he must avoid is any hint of a quasi-communist manifesto that furthers the 'Trotksy' label and consequently, digs a deeper hole for labour.
Of course, we still want Corbyn to retain that working class hero stance that we love him for.