Signposts, not weathercocks

Last night, Jeremy Corbyn whipped Labour MPs not to vote for continued membership of the Single Market. This is why he was wrong.

Corbyn enthused a lot of young people to vote at the last election. People who don't usually vote, many of them for the first time.

They voted at least partially against the Tories' vision of hard Brexit, which they understand will wreck their futures.

They voted at least partly because Corbyn presented himself as an authentic politician, a man of principle.

And yet, here Corbyn is proving himself to be just another tired, cynical, political game player. If he has a principled objection to free movement of labour, he should have said so at the general election; should have said 'I support Theresa.'  He didn't. He said he would “push to maintain full access to the European single market.”

And now? Now he sacks MPs who voted for what he said he would deliver. So why does this matter?

Folk don't vote because they think it won't make a difference;

Folk don't vote  because they think politicians lie;

Folk don't vote because they've had their hopes raised before;

Folk don't vote because they've had those hopes dashed.

No politician can deliver on all the dreams they inspire; we've seen leaders come in on a tide of hope and leave with a soiled legacy.

Blair with foreign war,

Obama with drone strikes,

Sturgeon with education and dither.

But Corbyn has a special responsibility to those young people who voted for him. If he leaves them cynical, they may not vote again.

If I were cynical I'd be pleased about this. With the SNP rudderless, a resurgent Labour party is the last thing Scotland needs. Both Scotland and England need strong parties of the left with clear platforms. We need leaders who say what they mean and deliver. We need politicians who will argue strongly for what they believe in, not what the latest focus group says.

We need, as the great Tony Benn said, signposts, not weathercocks.

Corbyn made a contract with his young voters. He said, I'm an honest, principled, straightforward person, I will protect your rights. He needs to deliver, or leave the stage.

Nicola Sturgeon, this applies to you also.