Paul Mason, Labour supporter and former BBC journalist, warns the first six months of a Corbyn government would be "like Stalingrad".

This is an extract from an article entitled "Jeremy Corbyn: Its right to plan for a run on the pound" published on the BBC News website on 26th September.

"Labour's last election manifesto contained pledges to bring rail and water companies and Royal Mail back into public ownership as well as a number of other large spending commitments - to be funded by borrowing and higher taxes on business and the better-off.
Speaking on Monday, Mr McDonnell said a future Labour administration would not be "traditional" and "people want to know we're ready, and they want to know we've got a response to anything that could happen".
Labour, he argued, must "scenario-plan" for all kinds of potential challenges it might face in government "bringing the relevant expertise together at every level to talk through what happens if there is such and such a reaction".
"What if there is a run on the pound? What happens if there is this concept of capital flight? I don't think there will be, but you never know.
"We've got to start work now… how exactly are we going to manage these industries when we take them back into public ownership? And let's start doing the detailed work now. Let's start doing the consultations with consumers or passengers or whoever and also with local authorities and local councils or whoever."
A Labour spokesman said: "This was an exercise not done by us but by members. The scenarios were to deal with numerous events such as national disasters and acts of terror that could occur under any government."
Speaking at the same conference fringe event as Mr McDonnell, former broadcaster Paul Mason warned the first six months of a Corbyn government would be "like Stalingrad", with attacks from the establishment." 

I had this letter commenting on the views of Mr McDonnell and Mr Mason published in the Western Daily Press on October 10th.


Would Corbyn be a Nazi or a Communist?
During the recent Labour party conference John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said that a future Labour administration should have contingency plans for capital flight and a run on the pound.  I admire his honesty and forward planning in preparing for such an economic future under Labour.

Speaking at the same event as Mr McDonnell, Paul Mason, Labour supporter and former BBC journalist, painted a near apocalyptic picture of life with Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.  He said the first six months would be “like Stalingrad”.  In Mr Mason’s scenario I wonder which role Mr Corbyn’s Labour would be playing, Hitler’s Nazis or Stalin’s Communists?

S.W.,

Ilminster, Somerset

I would have thought Leningrad a better analogy for a Labour government under siege, but who am I to question someone with such left-wing credentials as Mr Mason? 
Incidentally, the title for my letter was not mine. It was chosen by the WDP's letters editor.