Jeremy Corbyn. Demotix/Guy Corbishley. All rights reserved.When I was invited by openDemocracy to produce an account of Europe’s reactions to Jeremy Corbyn’s appointment as Labour leader, I thought this would be an opportunity to highlight attitudes towards anti-austerity measures. In my brief report, you’ll see how left-leaning publications rejoiced at Corbyn’s success; and how conservative ones kept quiet, their dismissiveness appearing rather ill-concealed.
For a start, did you see the enthusiasm oozing from Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias’ article in the Guardian? As you might have guessed, Spain has been tuning in on the Labour race station very regularly in recent times, the volume blasting. Anti-austerity is big in Spanish politics. A keen interest in Corbyn is only natural.
“Corbyn’s election revives the PSOE-Podemos fight for the left,” was the immediate reaction of El País. In an effort to claim to be closer to Corbyn than the rivals, PSOE’s general secretary Pedro Sánchez reminded the public of Iglesias’ continuous mantra: there isn’t such a thing anymore as being right or left. Sánchez thinks such remarks undermine the very essence of social democracy (and can you really argue with that, Mr Iglesias?)
