I’m voting Corbyn. Sorry.

The Labour Party is fractured. After two general election defeats, age-old divisions have reopened as the Parliamentary Labour Party once again finds itself at loggerheads with the membership and union leaders. Nearly half a million members, supporters, and trade union and socialist affiliates will soon be voting in a crucial test for the party.

I’ll be voting for Jeremy Corbyn – and I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry that I’ll be voting for an individual whose opponents suggest is unelectable. I’m sorry that I’ll be voting for an individual who some don’t recognise as a natural leader. I’m sorry that I’ll be voting for an individual that critics suggest doesn’t swim with the tide of national sentiment. Of course, if I was that sorry I would be voting for Owen Smith, Corbyn’s challenger and a politician who embodies many of the party’s finest values. I don’t think Smith is a dangerous corporate lobbyist, out to kill the NHS through the back door, and would have no problem supporting him should he lead the party in to the next election. But I am sorry because I understand why people are so critical of Corbyn, and I am sorry that many supporters of Owen believe that members like myself are Momentum ‘monsters’ looking to divide and conquer the Labour Party.

However, this is far from the truth, as I hope and expect voting for Corbyn will allow the party to unite and move forward as the country enters a period of tumultuous Brexit negotiations. Concerns about Corbyn’s electability, and the party’s electability under him, are valid. An economic revolution cannot come about through small and shallow amendments to Tory legislation. Labour needs to resemble a government in waiting, with pragmatic ideas to help shape a more equitable future. However, it’s unfair to label Corbyn a loser before he’s even run the first mile of this marathon. While election results in Scotland have been bad, the problems associated with Scottish Labour which have been years in the making shouldn’t be unfairly dumped at the door of Jeremy Corbyn. Indeed, success in mayoral elections in London and Bristol less than a year into his leadership suggest Labour can win both in and out of the capital. By reinforcing Labour’s opposition to austerity, proposing the creation of a National Education Service to provide quality education free at the point of use, and rent controls to make housing stock more affordable, Corbyn offers a radical but realistic picture of what a Labour Britain would look like.

We should also welcome Owen Smiths’ call for an end to the public sector pay freeze, an increase in the top rate of tax, and the recreation of a Ministry of Labour – policies already proposed by Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor. Corbyn’s reluctance to embrace the politics of identity, nationalism, and – to a degree – patriotism has attracted criticism and judgement. So much of the battle of ideas here rests on the degree to which we accept there are limits on the way we feel part of something greater. Clearly, Corbyn doesn’t accept the politics of nationality with the same vigour as some of his counterparts in parliament. I agree. Some types of nationalism can too quickly become a dangerous tool of division, exemplified by the rise of UKIP. Inequality and discrimination do not respect geographical boundaries, and while there can be local solutions to local problems, Corbyn is right to insist that Labour reject the notion that nationality should somehow define the limits of debate.

An international outlook is key in a post-Brexit world, while a willingness to not shy away from raising one’s head above the parapet is exactly what we need in a leader. Corbyn’s left-of-centre politics have raised emotions across the political spectrum. I have friends who have paid to become supporters precisely in order to vote against him. They feel he is running the Labour Party to the ground, speaking to a smaller and smaller section of the electorate. Yet so many others do not share this fatalistic outlook. The growth in party membership as Corbyn has toured the country addressing packed crowds indicates the start of a new social movement.

Undeniably, to some degree, we have to thank Corbyn for engaging first time voters and those who have felt detached from the Labour movement, forgotten by the New Labour project. We should see through this period of modernisation with Corbyn as our leader. Jeremy Corbyn is a polarising figure, and this election will be hard fought. It’s wrong for either side to presume victory, or expect defeat. Labour, under Corbyn, must continue to apply pressure on the government – as it has done – in order to ensure Brexit secures the workers’ rights, funding, and jobs that we all depend on. Only then will Labour be a beacon of hope and electability. I’m voting for Corbyn – to create a united Labour taking the fight to the Tories.