I think that’s over-egging it a bit. Both sides have moved to more extreme positions, hurling insults at anyone who might not be a fellow traveller. Remainer/Blairite seems to be the insult du jour and the idea that there might be some sort of middle ground seems to be anathema to them.
Part of the problem is that the Tories have been hollowed out by the Brexit brigade to such an extent that if Thatcher were active in politics now she’s be branded a traitor. The idea that Rees-Mogg or Johnson could be even considered for PM would be laughable if it wasn’t so appalling.
As for Corbyn, I wish he was better. I was suspicious of the hype surrounding him when he became leader, because I remember the same hype around Blair, and we know how well that turned out. I don’t think he’s a bolshevik, more like a cut-price Tony Benn.
I don’t think he’s an anti-semite, but I do think that intellectually he’s swimming in the same pool as people who are, especially given his support for Palestine, and I think this colours how much weight he gives it. He’s had the luxury so far of a parliamentary career with very little scrutiny and I don’t think he’s adjusted to the fact that that’s no longer the case.
Do I believe he’s an IRA supporter? Yes, but I don’t see this as a problem. We dealt with the IRA by bringing them to the table and talking and finding a political solution however poor, that everyone could live with, despite a fundamental disagreement with their aims and methods.
And this is the real problem as I see it. The current partisan climate doesn’t encourage talking. Anyone who dares to question Brexit is talking the country down. Anyone who dares to question Corbyn is part of a Blairite plot to smear him. If we can’t talk how are we supposed to find a solution that everyone can (more or less) live with?
But then, this is just my (distinctly ideological) political perspective…
