Read Today's Extract From The Waugh Zone Titled `WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN'

* Labour Leader: Jeremy Corbyn

by Ned Simons | Politics

The first two week's of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of Labour has been characterised by his shadow cabinet ministers publicly staking out contradictory policy positions.

With the party conference on the horizon, Corbyn has now imposed some authority. Labour, he tells the New Statesman, will "oppose completely" a benefit cap.

This is not what his shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith advocated on Newsnight last week. Nor is it what shadow equalities minister Kate Green explained the position to be. Iain Duncan Smith's gleeful response has been quick. Labour, he says, is now the "welfare party". 

Importantly, in the interview Corbyn also reveals: "I have a large supply of potatoes." Show off.

Labour's Brighton conference could be quite, tense. The vote on whether to advocate unilateral nuclear disarmament is one flash point. The impending Commons vote on whether to expand bombing raids against Isis into Syria is another. Many Labour MPs want a free vote on military action. But Angela Eagle, the shadow first secretary of state, interestingly tells the Daily Telegraph that it will be a "collective decision" either way. 

There is also the small matter of economics. Heidi Alexander, who has admitted her appointment as Corbyn's shadow health secretary, came as a "bolt out of the blue", has co-authored a policy pamphlet that is deeplyat odds with her new leader's platform. She warns the party has a "reputation for profligacy" and if this not fixed the party will lose. "Simple." Liam Bryne, who helped write the leaflet, said "voters didn’t know anymore who Labour stood for". 

Although he did have some kind words for Corbyn on the Today programme, describing him as the "craft ale of the Labour movement". Adding: "he’s authentic, he’s got strong flavors".

Alastair Campbell unsurprisingly, still does not think Corbyn can win. But he doesn't want to "cause him difficulties". Speaking on Newsnight, about diesel engines for some reason, Campbell interestingly said there were just "five" real crises during the ten years he was spinning for Labour. Sadly he did not list them. One of them has to be Cool Britannia. 

Will Corbyn be more successful than Blair, Eagle was asked during her interview. “He may well," she says, adding: "When you reboot a computer, you don’t know if it will fix itself, or if the problem will be as bad as it was before." Sometimes though they just don't turn back on again at all.

* Extract from the Waugh Zone :-
Ned Simons is the Assistant political editor, The Huffington Post UK.