If you only read the establishment media, you could be forgiven for thinking that things are looking bad for Jeremy Corbyn. Constant attacks and accusations of antisemitism fill column inches and news bulletins – often with scant regard for the facts.
But festival-goers in Cornwall showed that backing for Corbyn is still strong amongst his grassroots supporters; or ordinary people, as they’re otherwise known. Combined with the fact that Labour is still leading in the polls, it suggests that – away from the mainstream media bubble – people still believe that Corbyn is the best chance this country has at the moment for a better, fairer society.
“Oh, Jeremy Corbyn”
DJ Dan captured the scenes at the Boardmasters Festival. 18,000 people gathered for what he described as “the biggest Silent Disco ever in the world”:
The chants of @UKLabour @jeremycorbyn were deafening last night at @boardmasters Festival where I DJed for @PropagandaClub & @SilentDiscoKing! It was the biggest Silent Disco ever in the world! 18k people! pic.twitter.com/nZHosP8Zbm
— DJ Dan (@DjDanPropaganda) August 10, 2018
And as Twitter users pointed out, this wasn’t a pre-planned stunt, but people genuinely showing their support for the Labour leader:
https://twitter.com/FairfieldNiro/status/1029123033418686465
But that doesn’t fit the narrative…
This level of support might come as a nasty surprise to Corbyn’s detractors, who appear to have spent much of the summer vilifying him:
https://twitter.com/RickBlaine123/status/1029023121687412736
https://twitter.com/Greekboy8/status/1029123125806604288
“We won’t be silenced”
It may have been a ‘Silent Disco’ – but one Twitter user summed up the general mood: “We won’t be silenced”.
https://twitter.com/VoxPersona/status/1029005322860539905
Another social media user nailed why so many people support Corbyn:
@SkyNews @KayBurley
Why vilify Corbyn ALL the time, start holding this big awful Tory government to account ! Homelessness, attacking the disabled, hungry children !! Corbyn is a man of peace, can you not see that ?— Roft Street Bakery (@pippadavies2) August 13, 2018
Just over a year since Corbyn “increased Labour’s vote share more than any of the party’s leaders since 1945”, it appears that manoeuvring is taking place to oust him as Labour leader. It’s almost as if, like festival season, it’s now an annual August tradition. But these scenes suggest that, outside of the Westminster media bubble, support for Corbyn is as strong as ever.
And this will terrify those who think they can topple him.
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Featured image via screengrab and author’s own
