WE REPEATEDLY hear Jeremy Corbyn’s opponents parrot that he’s “a nice man, but not a leader” – along with siren calls from establishment voices about the necessity of “strong leadership” (invariably said with as macho a voice as the speaker can muster).
We question this old-fashioned notion of “leadership”, and whether outdated parental definitions are remotely appropriate in a 21st century where people increasingly insist on taking responsibility for what they think and believe – rather than looking outside of themselves to some reassuring mega-parent who will look after us so we don’t have to go to the trouble of thinking for ourselves.
Jeremy Corbyn has remained dignified and calm in the face of unremitting and vicious attacks from the media, the entire establishment and even from his own party.
He has been bullied, betrayed and ridiculed, and yet he carries on with the same grace and care he always shows to others – however objectionable their behaviour and treatment of him.
We know no other politician in this country who possesses anything approaching Corbyn’s maturity and dignity.
We would far rather measure someone’s leadership abilities by their integrity and their devotion to living honestly in accordance with their principles, rather than by the size of their macho ego-driven pretensions and ambitions.
Conventional definitions of leadership held by the political right believe that a “strong” leader is someone glamorous or charismatic who “leads from the front” (with puffed-up ego).
This construct derives from big business, with personal responsibility being abdicated and where people are dictated to and systematically disempowered.
As Nelson Mandela said: ‘It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front’.
True democracy requires a leader who shares power and voice; a leader who strives with an open heart to mindfully serve the prosperity of all.
Corbyn has the ability and wisdom to lead from the centre, and to command an authority that is honest and ethical.
He is a man our hearts can trust and our minds can work with.
Skeena Rathor and Dr Richard House
The Politics Kitchen
Stroud
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