Socialist ideas are not for the 21st century: Opinion

By admin
1 Min Read

Jeremy Corbyn was the first leader of the Labour Party for a generation who did not avoid the use of the term socialism. Now, under his leadership, his party recorded its worst result since 1935.

Corbyn promised printing money for social spending, nationalization of the railways and public utilities and taxing the rich.

These were policies reminiscent of the 1940s and 1950s. They proved popular among the young but failed to resonate with the working class, the same blue-collar workers who voted heavily for Boris Johnson, the man who promised to deliver Brexit.

A similar fate may now await Bernie Sanders in the United States. He is also a self-declared socialist and enjoys adulation among the young.

A term is now used for the popularity of politicians like Corbyn and Sanders, “millennial socialism”. Sanders, like Corbyn, is not convincing traditional working-class supporters of the Democratic Party.