Even as the mainstream media and members of his own party seek to paint Labour leader hopeful Jeremy Corbyn as lacking credibility on economic policy, a group of more than 40 leading economists put pen to paper this weekend, seeking to counter that narrative by publicly throwing their weight behind key planks of his anti-austerity platform.
“His opposition to austerity is actually mainstream economics,” the economists wrote in an open letter published Sunday. “Despite the barrage of media coverage to the contrary, it is the current government’s policy and its objectives which are extreme.”
The letter clarifies that its signatories “are not all supporters of Jeremy Corbyn,” who is currently the frontrunner in the leadership contest according to national polls.
“But we hope to clarify just where the ‘extremism’ lies in the current economic debate,” they continued, blasting harsh spending cuts and privatization embraced by current Labour leaders.
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