Sarah Garnham
The result of the British election has shaken the establishment to its core. Instead of delivering the expected landslide for the Tories, Theresa May has lost ground to a resurgent Labour Party under left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn faced down his enemies – the Tories, the media, and the right-wing of the Labour Party itself – to deliver the highest percentage increase in the Labour vote since 1945. This vote reflects a widespread enthusiasm for social democratic policies among working class people, especially working class youth, and represents an enormous rupture with the past 30 years of bipartisan neoliberalism. Yet challenges remain, with historically low union membership and street mobilisations. What do these results say about working class politics in Britain and around the world today? And what is their significance for socialists here in Australia?