The discreet charm of the Labour bourgeoisie

In the early 1960s a satirical combo called the Chad Mitchell Trio sang of the anti-communist paranoia of the John Birch Society (a forerunner of today’s Tea Party, as those among you who study the history of demagogic delusion will know). The reds were so ubiquitous that:

There’s no one left

but thee and we,

(and we’re not sure of thee).

You cannot trust your neighbour

Or even next of kin

If mommy is a commie,

then you have to turn her in.

Move from the far right to far left – a trip so short it’s like nipping to the shops – and you find that critical coverage of Corbyn in the Guardian produces threats to cancel subscriptions; that the ludicrously named Left Unity site accuses Liz Kendall of being an infiltrator; and that the Communication Workers Union says Blairites are a virus, which only Jeremy Corbyn can exterminate.

Labour MPs, who have fought the Tories all their lives, are Tories.