UK: Corbyn evokes the spirit of Tony Benn in Labour leadership victory speech

Newly appointed leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, evoked the spirit of Tony Benn as he addressed an audience during his victory speech at the Sanctuary Pub in Westminster, London, Saturday. "Hope is the fuel of progress and fear is the prison in which you put yourself," he said, quoting former Member of Parliament Tony Benn. "We celebrate an amazing triumph and an amazing victory," Corbyn said, after he sang "The Red Flag" associated with left-wing politics and socialism. The 66-year-old beat fellow Labour MPs Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, and Liz Kendall in the leadership contest, gaining 251,417 or 59 percent of first preference votes. The MP for the London constituency of Islington North was a rank outsider at the start of the election campaign, only gaining a place on the ballot paper after being nominated by centrist MPs seeking to broaden the range of debate within the party. His underdog candidacy has been marked by harsh criticism from the political establishment and mainstream media, with particular attention focused on his socialist economic views and links to Palestinian and Irish nationalist groups. However following the result, it appears many underestimated the appeal of the longtime parliamentary rebel's anti-austerity message, which energised a generation of young people new to politics, as well as former Labour Party members disillusioned by the party's rightward drift. The regulations under which the election was undertaken allowed 'registered supporters' to join the Party for just £3 (€4), a fact which contributed to the groundswell of support that sealed Corbyn's victory against the odds.