“I’m gonna fight ‘em all; a seven nation army couldn’t hold me back."

This line, screamed by students in nightclubs from Edinburgh to Exeter, sets up a defiant hero pitted against an ambiguous yet powerful opposition which seeks to put him down at every turn. It seems oddly fitting, then, that this song has become something of an anthem among young Labour supporters, with the iconic riff perfectly suiting the thumping cadences of the chant: “oh, Jeremy Corbyn!”. But, in a society where a reality TV star controls the direction of US foreign policy, and politicians are critiqued on their performance in Saturday night’s Strictly, is the line between popular culture and politics becoming insurmountably blurred? And what does this say about the growing ‘Corbymania’ amongst UK students?

The answer to the first question is: almost certainly. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when politicians decided to harness the power of youth culture, but it’s indubitable that it’s a time-honoured tradition, as typically cringe-inducing as your grandma inadvertently using inappropriate emojis on a public Facebook post. But in 2017, young people have begun to use popular culture as a driving force in our politics, and Jeremy Corbyn, through this, has metamorphosed from an “unelectable” back-bench maverick in 2015 into a political force to be reckoned with, destabilising Theresa May’s Tory majority through an unprecedented surge in Labour support — the largest increase since 1945 and their best vote for a generation.

 "Thousands viewed him as a figure of hope and resilience against adversity, against slander, against an indefatigable seven nation army, of sorts"

It would be very easy to dismiss the ‘cult of Corbyn’ as a juvenile rebellion against the traditional parameters of conservative society — like getting a nose piercing or voting Green — but those who view Corbyn as nothing other than a trendy pop-cultural token are inherently depoliticising his support base. And it’s patronising and snide attitudes like these which, ironically, drive students towards Corbyn. The Conservative Party and all its austerity measures are traditional and antiquated; it’s quite literally in the name. Nowhere was this made more clear than in their recent party conference, where the discussions about charming students back into conservatism descended into elegies for the eighties and dismissals of student political issues, such as the impending privatisation of the NHS and the inaccessibility of tuition fees.

On the other end of the spectrum sits Jeremy Corbyn on the floor of a controversially empty Virgin train, engaging with students and fighting for social justice. Is this what’s earned him the greater proportion of student votes in the UK, with 60% of 18-24 year olds backing a Labour government in 2017? It seems credible that the reason for his success would be his continual efforts to engage with young people on the topics we prioritise, like education and health cuts, welfare reform, and a successful Brexit deal after its neither strong nor stable launch.

But tackling pertinent societal issues isn’t the defining trait of the Labour Party; after all, the Lib Dems proudly carry the flag of the anti-Brexit resistance, handing out promises like lollipops from bouncers after a particularly rowdy club night. It’s clear that Jeremy Corbyn held a unique position; as a struggling underdog in the Labour Party hierarchy, his plight attracted thousands who viewed him as a figure of hope and resilience against adversity, against slander, against an indefatigable seven nation army, of sorts. His 2017 election story has been inspiring for so many because of the way he represented a resistant hero — his resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi seems no coincidence — guided by his unfailing principles; he faced his fellow party members undermining him with a vote of no confidence and publicly calling into question his fitness to lead, and he stood up and campaigned while other parties spread smear campaigns using out of context footage and clickbait articles. It was from this position of unfailing strength of character that we saw a leader.

Like Corbyn, we students are still filled with impassioned idealism, still ready to see justice enacted for all and equality delivered in our society. And whilst we secretly know that one day, we will become old and cynical and defeated, and in 2077 we may be staunch nostalgists for the halcyon days of Katy Perry and dabbing, Jeremy Corbyn remains a figurehead for such idealism. His sincerity of spirit and principle is a reminder that viable opposition to harmful conservatism exists as long as we, the quixotic youth, step into the political ring in the way that Tories and other such political heavyweights have long been encouraging us against. We can fight ‘em all