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The Candidate: Jeremy Corbyn's Improbable Path to Power
In September of last year an earthquake shook the foundations of British politics. Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong and uncompromising socialist, was elected to head the Labour Party. Corbyn didn’t just win the leadership contest, he trounced his opponents. The establishment was aghast. The official opposition now had as its leader a man with a plan, according to the conservative Daily Telegraph, “to turn Britain into Zimbabwe.”
How this remarkable twist of events came about is the subject of Alex Nunns’ highly-readable and richly-researched account. Drawing on first-hand interviews with those involved in the campaign, including its most senior figures, Nunns traces the origins of Corbyn’s victory in the dissatisfactions with Blairism stirred by the Iraq War and the 2008 financial crash, the move to the left of the trades unions, and changes in the electoral rules of the Labour Party that turned out to be surreally at odds with the intentions of those who introduced them. The system of one-member-one-vote, which delivered Corbyn’s success, was opposed by those on the left and was heralded by Tony Blair who described it as “a long overdue reform that… I should have done myself.”
Giving full justice to the dramatic swings and nail-biting tensions of an extraordinary summer in UK politics, Nunns’ telling of a story that has received widespread attention but little understanding is as illuminating as it is entertaining. He teases out a plot-line of such improbability that it would be unusable in a work of fiction, providing the first convincing explanation of a remarkable phenomenon with enormous consequences for the left in Britain and beyond.
How this remarkable twist of events came about is the subject of Alex Nunns’ highly-readable and richly-researched account. Drawing on first-hand interviews with those involved in the campaign, including its most senior figures, Nunns traces the origins of Corbyn’s victory in the dissatisfactions with Blairism stirred by the Iraq War and the 2008 financial crash, the move to the left of the trades unions, and changes in the electoral rules of the Labour Party that turned out to be surreally at odds with the intentions of those who introduced them. The system of one-member-one-vote, which delivered Corbyn’s success, was opposed by those on the left and was heralded by Tony Blair who described it as “a long overdue reform that… I should have done myself.”
Giving full justice to the dramatic swings and nail-biting tensions of an extraordinary summer in UK politics, Nunns’ telling of a story that has received widespread attention but little understanding is as illuminating as it is entertaining. He teases out a plot-line of such improbability that it would be unusable in a work of fiction, providing the first convincing explanation of a remarkable phenomenon with enormous consequences for the left in Britain and beyond.
406 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 6, 2018
This is a brilliant and insightful book. And so far, it's the definitive account of how Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party and the grassroots mass rising of support that propelled him there. Largely concentrating on Corbyn's first campaign for the leadership in 2015, (the second failed coup against him in the summer of 2016 is covered briefly in a final chapter) this book is the ideal antidote to all the rubbish that has been written in the mainstream media about Corbyn and his supporters. Nunns writes with clarity and verve to create a very readable and exciting account of a period in history that will have profound implications for UK politics. If you want to know how the ultimate political outsider became leader of UK Labour and in the process helped to build the largest membership of any democratic socialist party in Western Europe, then Alex Nunns's book is absolutely indispensable. Truly a must read.
A COMMENT ON THE SECOND, UPDATED EDITION . . .
I've now read the second, updated edition of Alex Nunns's book which includes a new prologue and revised introduction and new material covering the 2017 general election. Having read two other books about the events surrounding the 2017 snap election, both by long standing journalists, I can confidently say that Nunns's book is the best account of why Jeremy Corbyn and Labour defied all the experts' and pollsters' predictions. Nunns's analysis of how Corbyn became leader of the Labour party and why hundreds of thousands of people have made Labour the fastest growing left party on the planet is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what happened at the general election but also for anyone who wants to understand politics as it is now in 2018. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will establish Nunns as one of the UK's leading political thinkers and he's certainly the go-to person for those trying to get a handle on the Corbyn phenomenon and the rise of the left project in the UK.
The updated version of The Candidate is outstanding. The 100 or so pages of new material are impeccably researched and Nunns has some excellent sources. He has done politics and the wider labour movement a massive service by writing this book, especially the updated version. For anyone seeking to understand the whirlwind of political events over the past two years, The Candidate is essential reading. I really cannot recommend it too highly. Buy it now!
A COMMENT ON THE SECOND, UPDATED EDITION . . .
I've now read the second, updated edition of Alex Nunns's book which includes a new prologue and revised introduction and new material covering the 2017 general election. Having read two other books about the events surrounding the 2017 snap election, both by long standing journalists, I can confidently say that Nunns's book is the best account of why Jeremy Corbyn and Labour defied all the experts' and pollsters' predictions. Nunns's analysis of how Corbyn became leader of the Labour party and why hundreds of thousands of people have made Labour the fastest growing left party on the planet is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what happened at the general election but also for anyone who wants to understand politics as it is now in 2018. There is no doubt in my mind that this book will establish Nunns as one of the UK's leading political thinkers and he's certainly the go-to person for those trying to get a handle on the Corbyn phenomenon and the rise of the left project in the UK.
The updated version of The Candidate is outstanding. The 100 or so pages of new material are impeccably researched and Nunns has some excellent sources. He has done politics and the wider labour movement a massive service by writing this book, especially the updated version. For anyone seeking to understand the whirlwind of political events over the past two years, The Candidate is essential reading. I really cannot recommend it too highly. Buy it now!
January 16, 2017
This is a story so unlikely it’s almost worth reading for the sake of the tale, or the plot: a series of unlikely events that simply weren’t meant to happen and in real life don’t often do. Nunns knows he has good material here, and he knows what to do with it.
Documentary-style account of Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy for the Labour leadership – just the candidacy, with an afterword on the leadership challenge nine months down the track. 30% of my ebook turned out to be notes, but it’s still quite a size to tell that story. It explains background I didn’t have, from the unions – whose turn to Corbyn was as unexpected as the rest – to the actual origins of the ‘hard left/soft left’ labels the party seems stuck with. A section on The Guardian, which took a stance different to the majority of its readers (you can read this excerpt here: http://novaramedia.com/2017/01/08/how...). Draws on extensive interviews with a few of those most involved – including members of the public who did the first legwork to get an anti-austerity candidate to stand, and whose joy at the result is the most emotional moment.
It’s pleasantly written for a political book and it’s frequently humorous. I was sorry about one thing: that Blair and Blairites are written about with jocularity and on the assumption the audience has no time for them. I’d dearly like the right of the party to read this book – whether MPs or support – because they can have a strange take on Corbyn and this detailed account would be informative. As for Corbyn himself: he’s a transparent personality and is just presented as is. The book’s about his candidacy not him, although of course you watch him through it from close-up eyes.
Documentary-style account of Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy for the Labour leadership – just the candidacy, with an afterword on the leadership challenge nine months down the track. 30% of my ebook turned out to be notes, but it’s still quite a size to tell that story. It explains background I didn’t have, from the unions – whose turn to Corbyn was as unexpected as the rest – to the actual origins of the ‘hard left/soft left’ labels the party seems stuck with. A section on The Guardian, which took a stance different to the majority of its readers (you can read this excerpt here: http://novaramedia.com/2017/01/08/how...). Draws on extensive interviews with a few of those most involved – including members of the public who did the first legwork to get an anti-austerity candidate to stand, and whose joy at the result is the most emotional moment.
It’s pleasantly written for a political book and it’s frequently humorous. I was sorry about one thing: that Blair and Blairites are written about with jocularity and on the assumption the audience has no time for them. I’d dearly like the right of the party to read this book – whether MPs or support – because they can have a strange take on Corbyn and this detailed account would be informative. As for Corbyn himself: he’s a transparent personality and is just presented as is. The book’s about his candidacy not him, although of course you watch him through it from close-up eyes.
October 24, 2016
This book can be enjoyed on several levels, which all work together. On the most primitive level, it tells a wonderful story. The tale of Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to power is the stuff of fairy stories – the complete outsider whose candidature in a contest is regarded as a joke, but who wins the top prize. The tale is a gripping one: getting Corbyn on to the ballot with literally seconds to spare; the sudden unexpected taking off of his campaign; the hysterical attempts by horrified New Labour politicians and journalists to appeal to Labour Party members not to vote for him; the smear campaigns; the final unbelievable result. It is also a highly entertaining story, wittily told. There were many times when I laughed out loud; for instance, at this quote from an article put out by Progress, the New Labour equivalent of Momentum: “three candidates with a reasonable chance of winning made it through [to the ballot]. Jeremy Corbyn did also.”
On another and still rather basic level, the book satisfies curiosity and love of gossip by letting the reader into the detailed internal workings of the Labour Party, the unions and the Corbyn campaign team.
But beyond these somewhat primitive levels (important though they are to the reader’s enjoyment) is a deeply serious and complex analysis of the reasons for Corbyn’s victory. Though we were all left rubbing our eyes in disbelief, Jeremy Corbyn did not become Leader of the Labour Party because his fairy godmother waved a magic wand or because Labour Party members had experienced a fit of midsummer madness or the “collective nervous breakdown” that they were accused of suffering in the wake of Ed Miliband’s disastrous defeat in the May 2015 general election.
Nunns explains the historical and political reasons for Corbyn’s victory: the end of Blairism and neo-liberalism as a result of the Iraq War and the financial crash of 2008; a new voting rule – opening the leadership contest up to supporters who paid £3 - that ironically was intended to boost the Blairites, because of their delusion that voters from the non-existent “centre ground” would flood in; the ability of social media to galvanise the grassroots; the leftward movement of the unions, crushed by Thatcher and despised by New Labour - they had been moving left “under the radar” and were prepared to back Corbyn, and they also helped to bring about the new one member, one vote voting system which reduced the power of MPs; new social trends - led by the anti-austerity movement, and linked to similar campaigns around the world- that were looking for a focus and a leader.
Though Corbyn is the ostensible hero of the story, he is not, as he would be in a fairy-story, the individual hero who triumphs against the odds. He was a lowly backbencher for 30 years, but was involved in numerous left wing and human rights causes. He had gained the respect and admiration of adherents of these causes, who rallied to his support.
To take the Palestinian solidarity movement: on the one hand, Corbyn’s advocacy of the Palestinian cause left him vulnerable to a smear campaign, concocted by an alliance between the Blairite, Tory and Israel apologist press (such as the Jewish Chronicle), to try to discredit him on the grounds of associating with anti-Semites. On the other hand, Corbyn was bolstered by support from Jewish pro-Palestinian groups. Nunns quotes from two letters in defence of Corbyn: the Open Letter from prominent Jewish activists published in the Jewish Chronicle and a letter written on behalf of Jews for Justice for Palestinians that was printed in the Guardian.
Despite its title, “The Candidate” is not really about Corbyn, whose lack of personal charisma is actually an asset. The real hero of the book is the social movement itself, the grassroots that suddenly found itself empowered – the ordinary people who worked indefatigably and recruited more and more people as it became clear that Corbyn could win.
Nunns’s analysis leaves the reader with a sense of hope mingled with apprehension. The denouement was not a fairy-tale, happy-ever-after ending – it was only the beginning, as Nunns brings out in the Afterword about the failed coup after the 2016 Brexit vote. The story continues; we are still living it. Nunns is clear and realistic about the many threats that still remain. Attempts to discredit Corbyn continue, as was made clear by the recent Home Affairs Select Committee Report into antisemitism. The media remain hostile and Corbyn’s poll ratings among the general public continue to be low. But Nunns’s explanations leave the reader with a sense of hope that, founded as it is not in individual ambition and with roots that are not shallow but on the contrary deeply and broadly planted in the fertile soil of society, the Corbyn movement can survive, grow, flower and reach fruition.
On another and still rather basic level, the book satisfies curiosity and love of gossip by letting the reader into the detailed internal workings of the Labour Party, the unions and the Corbyn campaign team.
But beyond these somewhat primitive levels (important though they are to the reader’s enjoyment) is a deeply serious and complex analysis of the reasons for Corbyn’s victory. Though we were all left rubbing our eyes in disbelief, Jeremy Corbyn did not become Leader of the Labour Party because his fairy godmother waved a magic wand or because Labour Party members had experienced a fit of midsummer madness or the “collective nervous breakdown” that they were accused of suffering in the wake of Ed Miliband’s disastrous defeat in the May 2015 general election.
Nunns explains the historical and political reasons for Corbyn’s victory: the end of Blairism and neo-liberalism as a result of the Iraq War and the financial crash of 2008; a new voting rule – opening the leadership contest up to supporters who paid £3 - that ironically was intended to boost the Blairites, because of their delusion that voters from the non-existent “centre ground” would flood in; the ability of social media to galvanise the grassroots; the leftward movement of the unions, crushed by Thatcher and despised by New Labour - they had been moving left “under the radar” and were prepared to back Corbyn, and they also helped to bring about the new one member, one vote voting system which reduced the power of MPs; new social trends - led by the anti-austerity movement, and linked to similar campaigns around the world- that were looking for a focus and a leader.
Though Corbyn is the ostensible hero of the story, he is not, as he would be in a fairy-story, the individual hero who triumphs against the odds. He was a lowly backbencher for 30 years, but was involved in numerous left wing and human rights causes. He had gained the respect and admiration of adherents of these causes, who rallied to his support.
To take the Palestinian solidarity movement: on the one hand, Corbyn’s advocacy of the Palestinian cause left him vulnerable to a smear campaign, concocted by an alliance between the Blairite, Tory and Israel apologist press (such as the Jewish Chronicle), to try to discredit him on the grounds of associating with anti-Semites. On the other hand, Corbyn was bolstered by support from Jewish pro-Palestinian groups. Nunns quotes from two letters in defence of Corbyn: the Open Letter from prominent Jewish activists published in the Jewish Chronicle and a letter written on behalf of Jews for Justice for Palestinians that was printed in the Guardian.
Despite its title, “The Candidate” is not really about Corbyn, whose lack of personal charisma is actually an asset. The real hero of the book is the social movement itself, the grassroots that suddenly found itself empowered – the ordinary people who worked indefatigably and recruited more and more people as it became clear that Corbyn could win.
Nunns’s analysis leaves the reader with a sense of hope mingled with apprehension. The denouement was not a fairy-tale, happy-ever-after ending – it was only the beginning, as Nunns brings out in the Afterword about the failed coup after the 2016 Brexit vote. The story continues; we are still living it. Nunns is clear and realistic about the many threats that still remain. Attempts to discredit Corbyn continue, as was made clear by the recent Home Affairs Select Committee Report into antisemitism. The media remain hostile and Corbyn’s poll ratings among the general public continue to be low. But Nunns’s explanations leave the reader with a sense of hope that, founded as it is not in individual ambition and with roots that are not shallow but on the contrary deeply and broadly planted in the fertile soil of society, the Corbyn movement can survive, grow, flower and reach fruition.
December 19, 2022
New Labour was the outcome of a long tradition of the British Left conceding ground to the British Right. But Corbyn reversed that trend - and this book tells that story, firstly in the context of the Labour Leadership Election of 2015; and secondly in the context of the snap General Election of 2017.
As a man who put himself forward as candidate in the Labour leadership campaign for the simple reason of not wanting Blairites to dominate the leadership candidate debates, no-one expected - and Corbyn himself least of all - for honest, old-fashioned left wing views to resonate as much as they did.
This book tells the story of a Left approach that did not pander to the Right and its client media on issues of immigration, wealth distribution and foreign policy. And shows how that approach has now left behind a template for true progressives to define those debates in future battles.
As a man who put himself forward as candidate in the Labour leadership campaign for the simple reason of not wanting Blairites to dominate the leadership candidate debates, no-one expected - and Corbyn himself least of all - for honest, old-fashioned left wing views to resonate as much as they did.
This book tells the story of a Left approach that did not pander to the Right and its client media on issues of immigration, wealth distribution and foreign policy. And shows how that approach has now left behind a template for true progressives to define those debates in future battles.
September 10, 2020
spellbinding
March 31, 2018
Some passages moved me to tears, others made me so angry I had to stop reading. There were even stretches that went into too much detail for me but this book provides a valuable resource for modern historians. It is also a shocking indictment of the ‘right ‘ of the Labour Party who should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
August 4, 2017
I've never been to Britain, nor followed UK politics with any great consistency, and hence the obsessive intensity with which I read this book took me back - I would never have thought I'd be interested in the intricacies and details of the internal politics of a party. I think the reason I was so taken with this book was because I like underdog stories, and this was an unbelievably good example of that. Nunns tells his story well, and his open partisanship towards Corbyn is a delight. It's like watching a football match where you know your favored team is going to win, and that the commentator is also on your side. Corbyn's victory is one of the very few truly positive things that have been happening lately, everything else is so very dark. It would be nice if the book were updated to account for what's been happening.
July 17, 2018
The best thing I can say about this book is that it is a well-researched account of Jeremy Corbyn's two leadership election had Labour's 2017 general election campaign. It deepened my understanding of how all of that came together. However, Nunns makes it clear early on that Team Corbyn is right, everyone else is either malicious or stupid, and there is no room to believe anything else. The rare times when we hear from either Conservative voices or voices from the more centrist part of Labour, they're presented sarcastically, to remind the audience that they are the villains in this story. I'd like to say to Nunns that if that's true, he should let readers come to that on their own. That he feels the need to insist over and over on Corbyn's heroism makes me instantly skeptical that things can really be that way. Read if you want, but keep your BS detector handy.
February 15, 2018
Superd, definitive account of the Corbyn phenomenon. Essentially reading for British people. Now we need an updated version to cover 2017!
February 11, 2019
Coming to this book as someone with left leaning politics and a general admiration for what Corbyn stands for, it was inevitably going to be an enjoyable read. But it went far beyond my expectations as Alex Nunns, despite also not shrouding his partisan party politics, uses evidence objectively throughout to shed light on Labour’s place in British politics from 2010-2017.
The book’s start is great, informing the reader about the conditions that served as pretext for a left Labour leader candidacy to be possible, which ironically were supposed to ensure that exact thing never happened. Thanks Blair - one half decent legacy. Then from about chapter 5 onwards the books follows a similar pattern of demonstrating how against the odds: Corbyn’s Labour leadership bid; Corbyn’s success against the party coup and vote of no confidence; and Labour’s success in the snap 2017 general election, really were. In each case, Nunns explores how the unlikely triumphs were made possible. This is where the book comes into its own, and produces a brilliantly lucid insight into the way that ‘Corbyn’s Labour’ defied odds via use of regional canvassing, social media, Momentum style rallies, and above all else candidly promoting socialist policies. The author, while praising the role of leaders such as Corbyn, McDonnell, Abbott, does a good job of taking a broad view on things, people, events that contributed to the party’s success providing a comprehensive view of how a 40% share of the popular vote in 2017 came to fruition.
A teaser of what the book stands for is captured in the following two quotes:
‘June 2017 showed that what happened to Labour two years earlier was not a freak result but a symptom of a deep, ongoing process.’
‘Instead of ceding ground to the right as part of an elaborate political game, or searching for the mythical centre ground, Corbyn simply stood up for what he - and apparently millions of others - believed in. By leading opinion, rather than following it, he boxed out a new space for progressive politics’.
The book’s start is great, informing the reader about the conditions that served as pretext for a left Labour leader candidacy to be possible, which ironically were supposed to ensure that exact thing never happened. Thanks Blair - one half decent legacy. Then from about chapter 5 onwards the books follows a similar pattern of demonstrating how against the odds: Corbyn’s Labour leadership bid; Corbyn’s success against the party coup and vote of no confidence; and Labour’s success in the snap 2017 general election, really were. In each case, Nunns explores how the unlikely triumphs were made possible. This is where the book comes into its own, and produces a brilliantly lucid insight into the way that ‘Corbyn’s Labour’ defied odds via use of regional canvassing, social media, Momentum style rallies, and above all else candidly promoting socialist policies. The author, while praising the role of leaders such as Corbyn, McDonnell, Abbott, does a good job of taking a broad view on things, people, events that contributed to the party’s success providing a comprehensive view of how a 40% share of the popular vote in 2017 came to fruition.
A teaser of what the book stands for is captured in the following two quotes:
‘June 2017 showed that what happened to Labour two years earlier was not a freak result but a symptom of a deep, ongoing process.’
‘Instead of ceding ground to the right as part of an elaborate political game, or searching for the mythical centre ground, Corbyn simply stood up for what he - and apparently millions of others - believed in. By leading opinion, rather than following it, he boxed out a new space for progressive politics’.
January 30, 2023
This non-fiction book tells the story of the rise of Jeremy Corbyn (relative rise of course!). It focuses on how a man given the odds of 200/1 became Labour leader up against ‘more obvious’ leadership candidates and then how, after predictions from experts that Labour were on tract to lose 100+ seats at the snap 2017 election, they defied predictions to dramatically increase their number of seats and vote share and forced the Tories into a coalition.
It is very sympathetic to Corbyn and left wing politics so would probably be enjoyed most by people of a similar political persuasion but there is plenty in it for none ‘Corbynites’ – it deals with the changing unpredictable natural of modern politics, the rise of social media and the arguable decline of influence of traditional media. Anyone interested in politics or media should find it interesting but it is also just a really good story of a man and a movement achieving the unexpected, it would be a great basis of a political thriller! It’s easy to read and I don’t think it would be necessary to be a political expert to follow what is going on.
It is very sympathetic to Corbyn and left wing politics so would probably be enjoyed most by people of a similar political persuasion but there is plenty in it for none ‘Corbynites’ – it deals with the changing unpredictable natural of modern politics, the rise of social media and the arguable decline of influence of traditional media. Anyone interested in politics or media should find it interesting but it is also just a really good story of a man and a movement achieving the unexpected, it would be a great basis of a political thriller! It’s easy to read and I don’t think it would be necessary to be a political expert to follow what is going on.
April 17, 2018
I have been wanting to read this book for ages, but I finally got round to ordering it after hearing Alex Nunns read from the new edition across a video line at the first Labour Germany AGM a month or so back. The author was fascinating to listen to. He obviously knows Labour and the UK political scene inside out and seemed to be able to answer any question thrown at him. So I opened the book with high expectations, and they were not disappointed. A rare political book from a left standpoint that makes you laugh out loud and keeps you gripped to the end. I hope Alex Nunns will be writing more books!
August 28, 2019
An excellent history & analysis of the improbable rise of Jeremy Corbyn to Leader of the Labour Party, which does not merely recount the chain of events which led from the decline of New Labour to its reinvigorated showing in the 2017 election, but carefully collates and theorizes upon the historical trajectories, economic conditions, and social movements which made possible. A refreshing mix of narrative history, political science, and social theory, I recommend it to anyone interested in UK politics, late-capitalist Labour movements, and electoral & extra-electoral theories of community organizing.
July 10, 2018
This is the first "Election Narrative" I've found both genuinely entertaining and inspiring. But Sanders got shafted, Trump's. . .Trump, Clinton is a Neo-Liberal robot, Bush was Coronated and Obama is an outright traitor to the people. I'm not off-hand familiar with UK politics in general, but I tried to read a couple on the PMs of my lifetime and they were. . .slimy. The books I mean.
So - cheers to that man. Really surprised I liked this, tho I did already like Corbyn. And I like Corbyn more now than I did going in.
So - cheers to that man. Really surprised I liked this, tho I did already like Corbyn. And I like Corbyn more now than I did going in.
June 16, 2017
The Candidate is an immensely readable and informative chronicle of Jeremy Corbyn's rise to Labour Party leadership in 2015. Munns gets all the right interviews, especially those who won the social-media wars.
The book is brilliant in outlining the organizational changes in how Labour leaders are elected. In many ways, this story is a case study in unanticipated consequences for the New Labour backers. This proved even more true in 2016, when the parliamentary caucus attempted to reassert its traditional power.
Folks in the US interested in building support for a more progressive politics may well get some pointers from the detailed discussion of the Corbyn campaign.
If you're not British, or not overly familiar with how UK elections work, you might feel a little bit confused occasionally. Still, if you want the whole story from the perspective of an unabashed Corbyn fan. Fans of Tony Blair and his politics probably won't like this story much at all. I will look forward to the next edition!
The book is brilliant in outlining the organizational changes in how Labour leaders are elected. In many ways, this story is a case study in unanticipated consequences for the New Labour backers. This proved even more true in 2016, when the parliamentary caucus attempted to reassert its traditional power.
Folks in the US interested in building support for a more progressive politics may well get some pointers from the detailed discussion of the Corbyn campaign.
If you're not British, or not overly familiar with how UK elections work, you might feel a little bit confused occasionally. Still, if you want the whole story from the perspective of an unabashed Corbyn fan. Fans of Tony Blair and his politics probably won't like this story much at all. I will look forward to the next edition!
August 12, 2017
I really enjoyed this - it was written so well that it felt like I was living through the whole thing again but this time with more insight as to how the whole situation began and progressed. Horrified by the behaviour of some of the Labour MPs which was every bit as bad as ot appeared to be. Amazed by the steadfastness of Corbyn and the people around him. Am sure this story will continue to be remarkable but Alex Nunns did a great job of letting us in to some of it.
February 20, 2018
A comprehensive and detailed look at how Jeremy Corbyn and the lefty movement he represents have come to power within the Labour Party. Nunns' documentary approach works very well in telling the story. A good read for anyone interested in modern politics & the inner workings of political parties, doubly so for those looking to find hope in anti-austerity candidates or learn about how political power can still be derived from the people (ground-up style).
December 31, 2023
4.5 stars/🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Positives: Excellent insight into a period of political history that definitely had an impact on me as a young person and encouraged me to become more politically engaged. It was fascinating to explore the background to the Labour leadership campaign and the following General Election in 2017.
Negatives: The lack of punctuation throughout (mainly commas) was sometimes slightly confusing/off-putting.
Positives: Excellent insight into a period of political history that definitely had an impact on me as a young person and encouraged me to become more politically engaged. It was fascinating to explore the background to the Labour leadership campaign and the following General Election in 2017.
Negatives: The lack of punctuation throughout (mainly commas) was sometimes slightly confusing/off-putting.
September 16, 2018
Gripping read, real insider track on the Corbyn story and there was a lot of material in here which I had not heard before from the regular press. The book shows how much internal opposition within the Labour party Corbyn had to deal with even as leader, and how he faced obstacles trying to derail him at every corner. Also makes a convincing argument for the reasons behind Corbyn's rise.
November 2, 2018
Received through GoodReads First Reads for reviewing - thanks you.
Really brilliant book that gives a clearer understanding of Corbyn's rise to leader of the Labour Party. I'm not a Corbynite, and have no love for the Labour Party, but I have an interest in the sphere of British politics and this book was a fascinating and insightful read.
Really brilliant book that gives a clearer understanding of Corbyn's rise to leader of the Labour Party. I'm not a Corbynite, and have no love for the Labour Party, but I have an interest in the sphere of British politics and this book was a fascinating and insightful read.
November 27, 2019
Enjoyed it immensely. Well written if somewhat tendentious but that doesn't detract from the meticulous research and fascinating facts that refute the dark and often childishly clumsy media paintings of Corbyn. I've always thought him decent and with integrity but now I actually like him a lot more. Good writing on a decent man.
March 27, 2022
Thrilling story about a mass movement towards socialism of which Corbyn was the lightning rod of. It hurts my heart to read in 2022 knowing how history played out after this, but what Corbyn ignited will not disappear and the powers that be know it, they are still recovering from how wrong they were about our existence in 2015 and 2017.
July 12, 2023
Really well written account of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership elections and the 2017 general election. An honest assessment of what went well and also the obstacles he faced within the Labour Party & the British Establishment. I really enjoyed this book but I'm continually saddened and angry at the sham that is British (& Labour Party) democracy. #forthemanynotthefew
September 14, 2019
A gripping read
A gripping insider account of Corbyn’s rise to power and the 2017 GE. Paints a fascinating picture of the behind-the-scenes machinations and the groundswell of support that propelled him to power and resulted in a completely unpredicted GE result.
A gripping insider account of Corbyn’s rise to power and the 2017 GE. Paints a fascinating picture of the behind-the-scenes machinations and the groundswell of support that propelled him to power and resulted in a completely unpredicted GE result.
April 8, 2021
Though barely more than a fluff piece, this book offers a couple of rebuttals to pervasive narratives about the Corbyn project. Such ripostes vary in robustness. I think a book like this can matter if it offers hope to readers. That feels possible here, though maybe not for me.
September 14, 2017
Excellent accoubnt of Jeremy Corbyn's remarkable rise to the Labour Party leadership
July 23, 2018
An indispensable book on Corbyn and the recent trends in the Labour Left. A must read for Americans who want to understand left-wing electoral politics across the pond
May 17, 2020
Reading this after the 2019 General Election is hilarious.
December 1, 2020
Would recommend this to anyone. I didn't realise quite what Corbyn was up against until I read this.
January 25, 2025
The biggest problem with this book is that I knew how it would end! In the words of Jim Bowen on Bullseye, “Let’s have a look at what you could’ve won!”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews