THE UK will be like “Venezuela for 20 years” if Labour are elected, controversial academic Jordan Peterson has claimed.
In an interview with the right-wing Telegraph newspaper, the Canadian writer also spoke of his admiration for Margaret Thatcher and tried to promote his new online “academy”.
Peterson, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said: “You guys, you elect a Labour government, you’re going tot be Venezuela for 20 years.
“I’m terrified it would be a catastrophe if the UK voted [in] a Labour government. You’re gonna be in for rough waters if you were foolish enough to do that. But yeah, it’s highly likely.”
Polls indicate that Labour will win a landslide at the next General Election, which Rishi Sunak is expected to call for autumn 2024.
Starmer, who would become prime minister after a Labour win, has recently faced criticism for his praise of Margaret Thatcher.
The Labour leader back-pedalled after writing in the Telegraph that the former Tory prime minister had brought “meaningful change” to Britain and applauding her for “setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism”.
Speaking to the same paper, Peterson also spoke of his admiration for the Conservative titan.
He said: “You know I didn’t like Margaret Thatcher at all [in the 1980s]. I was a vegan. What the hell do you know when you’re a kid? Jesus, I hadn’t stopped being a socialist at that point.
“But I didn’t understand until later how effective both [US president Ronald] Reagan and Thatcher were in relation to the Soviet Union.”
He went on: “And Thatcher. Well, she brought the English-speaking world back onto the traditional track.
“She was an ethically admirable person and earned her sobriquet [of the Iron Lady] very effectively.
“She had a spine. We’ve seen particularly in Great Britain in recent years, and in Canada, the proliferation of conservatives with no spine.”
Peterson also promoted his online “academy”, which is reportedly due to launch in the new year.
He claimed academics will be able to teach whatever they like in the courses which will not be officially accredited.
“I’m going to bring them to Miami, and I’m going to treat them so well that they’re thrilled, I’m going to offer them a better financial deal,” he said of prospective staff.
“I’m going to say, you teach exactly what you love in whatever way you see fit, and if we can do anything to help you let us know. And then we’re going to bring that to everyone.”
The Telegraph reported a “conservative estimate” of 30,000 student sign-ups in the first year.
