In 2017, with Labour’s post-coup polling still in the pits, Team Corbyn is trying something new. They’re going to take a “populist turn,” accentuating an anti-Westminster, anti-establishment politics.

To an extent, this is smart thinking, which seeks to exploit the very crisis of politics that made Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership possible. Prior to winning the leadership, Corbyn pointed out how hollow the political system in Britain had become. He said that thanks to low turnout, the Conservatives were able to govern with less than a quarter of the vote.

There isn’t a vast number of people in political parties in Britain, but that’s not to say we’re living in a totally depoliticized society. Look at the 250,000 that came on the anti-austerity march last weekend . . . I think we need to build a social movement.