No ‘suicide note’: Jeremy Corbyn, not his manifesto, is what holds Labour back

Labour’s manifesto is not the hard-left document its opponents would have you believe, writes Robin Pettitt. It has little in common with the infamous 1983 ‘suicide note’, not least in its moderate stance on defence. The manifesto advocates gradual change and some of its ideas, such as a National Education Service, are innovative. What is holding Labour back is its leader – and the MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 leadership contest bear responsibility for that.