He was wiling to be strategic on appointments (as is Badenoch incidentally). Not on views Give me an example of Corbyn ever being persuaded by Hilary Benn to change his mind even slightly on anything.
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Corbyn spent forty years before being leader studiously avoiding listening to anyone he disagreed with. Then, when obliged to listen to people he disagreed with because he was leader he did indeed dutifully do it but he wasn't very good at meeting anyone halfway, even rhetorically.
It is my contention that his behaviour over four decades as a backbencher reflected a particular shortcoming, which rather hobbled his leadership, and overlaps with a Badenoch shortcoming (she also moved in narrow circles by choice before becoming leader).
This was not "Corbyn is a bad person" or "Corbyn's politics were bad" or "Corbyn was doomed to fail". It is "Corbyn lacked curiosity or imagination concerning those with different views and this caused some problems". Something many of his aides and close supporters would agree with.
But, like any statement about Corbyn that isn't damnation or hagiography, this has upset a lot of people whose own replies don't exactly show much interest in understanding those with different views or persuading them.
A political appointment amounts to an acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the views held by the appointee —
otherwise we couldn’t criticise leaders for them, could we? Incidentally, can you give an example of the opposite happening? I think that’s more pertinent considering Benn’s attempted coups.
You can call Corbyn’s appointment of his rivals “strategic” all you like, but the fact is that he gave them considerable political capital and influence — and it was they who eventually knifed him in the back, not the other way around. So who’s really intolerant of opposing ideas here?
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It’s interesting how many politicians like those two (JC & KB) seem incapable of attempting to see themselves as others do; it rarely ends well
otherwise we couldn’t criticise leaders for them, could we? Incidentally, can you give an example of the opposite happening? I think that’s more pertinent considering Benn’s attempted coups.