That was the week that was!

No - I'm not going to be writing about a programme broadcast when I was just a child. Instead I shall write of this last week in British politics - hardly time to catch one's breath!

Central, of course, was the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party. I had walked past the QE11 Hall a couple of hours before (and saw Ben Bradshaw and Sadiq Khan arriving) - but while I will be going to the full conference in Brighton, I didn't have a ticket to the special conference. I had arrived in Putney by the time the result was announced.

During the leadership campaign, I had supported Andy Burnham - and had done some work to encourage others to vote for him. It's always disappointing not to be on the winning side - but politics is always competitive. Now, Jeremy is the Leader.

We've seen the events which followed, with the Right Wing media relishing the hunt - and the Tories running their "be afraid, be very afraid" line - A couple of comments here. First, the Right always resorts to this type of approach. Fear trumps hope - but they should note the story of the little boy who repeatedly cries wolf. In any case - Cameron's claim that Corbyn is a threat to "our economic security and your family's security" is rich coming from the Prime Minister who has overseen the explosion in zero-hours contracts; the bedroom tax; cuts to Working Tax Credits; who has already reneged on his promise to cap care costs...

One of the reasons that the Conservatives dislike Corbyn - is that he is seen as too much of an ideologue. A left-winger blinded by his own ideology. Yet the most fanatic ideologues today are INSIDE the Government. IDS pursuing his Victorian fantasy that threats and punishment are the best motivators for the poor - Nicky Morgan and her team who, despite no evidence to back their claims, believe that academisation is the ONLY way to improve school standards - the Europhobes who believe all our evils stem from Europe - but most of all those who assert that market forces, unfettered by controls, will bring about the best of all possible worlds.

Jeremy hasn't had a perfect week - he's made some mistakes, appeared "unprofessional" at times, but has also stepped away from some of those things most people find irritating about politics. PMQs was unusual - but better than the slanging match that brings Parliament into disrepute.

The noise of the last week should settle down - the new frontbench team will be developing policy - and Jeremy, like other leaders before him, won't win every battle (just ask Cameron, Brown, Blair and major about that). As good progressives, we look to the future...