It's really over-determined; while Corbyn wasn't particularly impressive, I've never seen quite such a set of media smears against a single person. They were really laying on the "communist spy / IRA supporter / anti-semitic" nonsense. Factional infighting was also a factor. It was clear that the right wing of the Labour party would prefer losing to allowing Corbyn to win, because that would lose their personal control over the party. From their point of view, the tens of thousands of new labour party members were just entryists.
How do we know that the concerns were insincere? Well, Claire Fox spent twenty years in the Revolutionary Communist Party and supported IRA bombing of Warrington in the 90s, but has now been made a member of the UK's permanent unelected legislature, the House of Lords.
People will hate socialism if they're told to do so. Whereas Revolutionary Communist Party members can be promoted to baronetcy once they fall in line. Welcome to Britain.
How do we know that the concerns were insincere? Well, Claire Fox spent twenty years in the Revolutionary Communist Party and supported IRA bombing of Warrington in the 90s, but has now been made a member of the UK's permanent unelected legislature, the House of Lords.
People will hate socialism if they're told to do so. Whereas Revolutionary Communist Party members can be promoted to baronetcy once they fall in line. Welcome to Britain.