Corbynism: Political Image and Influence
Résumé
Can Corbynism be considered as an ideology? According to Raymond Williams, an ideology can be defined as “a set of ideas which arise from a given set of material interests or, more broadly, from a definite class or group” (R. Williams, Keywords. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983 [1976], p. 156). Was this “set of ideas” consistent and coherent enough to leave its mark on the Labour Party for the years and decades to come? In order provide an answer to this question, this paper focused on specific aspects of Jeremy Corbyn as a political personality that are often neglected: his leadership style and political image. Secondary questions were thus put forward throughout the presentation: how did Jeremy Corbyn want to be perceived by the British people, that is to say by potential supporters of the Labour Party? How did the media contribute to the construction/deconstruction of his political image and reputation? A first part explored Corbyn’s political image through a study of his postures and persona, a Greek word which enabled us to relate to the theatricality of politics. Another crucial aspect that was covered in this presentation was the values and convictions given by the former Labour leader to his party. Then, this paper demonstrated that Corbyn’s image had also been partly controlled by both traditional mass media and social media. To what extent did these elements play an active role and contribute to the construction of Jeremy Corbyn’s political image? Eventually, the last point of this study questioned the long term influence of the man Boris Johnson famously compared to Stalin and biographer Rosa Prince called “Comrade Corbyn”. Did this political image of a left-wing radical and the new “set of ideas” imparted to the Labour Party have the potential to acquire a long-lasting magnitude?