I wouldn't disagree much, McGrath. My main quibble is that 'extremely rich' condition. I think even those with small incomes also need to pay their share. And we need to face up to that because people of average income and certainly below need to watch what they spend very carefully and it is very easily turned into a point of resentment by those who wish to manipulate things that a government is taking some of it to "waste" of things that don't directly benefit them. Very few people really object to taxation for things that they see the benefits of - the NHS of course, but also road maintenance, etc - so the manipulator always focus on things that don't so obviously benefit the employed worker. Hence the current demonisation of benefits.

I watched Newnight last night where they had two small focus groups of ex Labour voters commenting on each of the candidates as a prospective Prime Minister. It is sad but hardly unexpected that these groups knew so little about the election that they didn't even know the names of the candidates. However afterwards Danny Finkelstein (I?) argued fairly persuasively that the focus groups showed that Labour could not persue principle and electability at the same time at the moment but he thought it might be a good thing in the longer term for labour to clarify its principles at this stage. The MP wheeled on as a talking head head didn't really have much to say beyond making the obvious point that Corbyn has been wildly underestimated so far, so writing him off as a Prime Minister might be unwise.

What intrigues me about Corbyn is that he has no wish to be a leader, of the party or of government of the kind we have had in the past. Invariably we have aimed for strong leaders who decide (after so,e discussion certainly) and state a policy after which every MP is expected to behave as if they are 100% in accord with it, and have been all their lives. Corbyn is determinedly not that sort of leader and has a much more consensual approach. Whether that can be made to work is up for grabs, but the entire media, political classes and business world will be against trying it ...