Keir Starmer's dismal attempts to woo Reform voters with Enoch Powell dog whistles isn't just failing to attract Reform voters, it's driving away huge numbers of traditional Labour voters
Thank you Alan ~ it was a very informative read. I especially loved this quote from Rodrigo Nunes
“distributed leadership” in left-wing organisations. This type of leadership “lifts the weight off a particular organisation or individual with a leadership position and distributes it across the ecology the organisation to fulfil the function of leadership.
I'm not sure whether I have faith in a new party (most politicians seem so corruptible!) I have faith in Jeremy Corbyn & his manifesto.
I think now i'd rather see a mass movement that will overthrow & create, as you say, bottom up policies and a change in the way the government operates. It is disproportionate.
Kaleid: 1) Glad you liked THE LEFT LANE piece. 2) Have you heard the saying " I am from Missouri on that one"" ? It means I don't trust anyone unless they show me... which is why that state is called the " show me " state. In other words, I need evidence. (https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/missouri/state-nickname/show-me-state). In politics, I don't think we should have faith in leaders, including Corbyn. A new party needs to be set up and closely controlled by people and then we do NOT need to have faith in any one, well, except our selves. Alan
To be honest I think the moment has gone - it was five years ago - and I’m not convinced I trust them any more. If you look at it objectively, they have achieved what Sanders and AOC are going to do in America - scooped up all the potential energy that might have left Labour and returned it to neoliberalism. They have continued to take the money while continuing to follow the whip. My “Socialist Campaign Group” MP never appears on the shrinking list of names who refused to vote for the latest discrace.
I quite dispirited because I recognise that it will take at least a decade, probably two before we get a viable option together for an election, and frankly I don’t think we have four election cycles before the shit hits the fan.
It’s all fucked. Corbyn and his mates had the chance to try to fix it but they dithered and now it’s all fucked. The end of the world is nigh (literally, not even joking) and nobody is going to even try to do anything about it.
Amos: I also have many questions about Corbyn and his political mates as well. Some think he and his political approach are indispensable to form a new party. Lots of us don't agree. Alan
What is profoundly depressing is the way that "Labourites" have clung on to a party that self evidently is no longer "Labour", but more like "Likud UK", because of course many of those Starmer (a self declared "Zionist without qualification") has surrounded himself with are rabid Zionists and some of those have been given peerages courtesy of Starmer (Ellman, Berger, Smeeth), which also explain s the totally amoral Labour approach to the Gaza genocide beyond the usual lip service to the prevailing empire narrative. Compare the approach to Israel by the British Labour Party under Starmer to that of the Spanish Socialist Party under Pedro Sanchez, where they have refused docking facilities to Israeli shipping, lent support to the recognition of the Palestinian state, and recently cancelled a large ammunition order placed with Israel. It has been suggested that the recent nationwide blackout in Spain was the Israeli response.
However coming back to Starmer's deserved fall in popularity the other profoundly depressing aspect is that the TUC and the unions have not been particularly vocal in opposing a lot of Starmer's neo-liberal economic "austerity", nonsense and continue to ensure that "Labour" is economically viable. Personally I agree with Chris Williamson, a member of the party for forty years, who is of the view that "Labour is dead" - I agree, we need a new party on the left fighting for socialist values - that is not Labour and arguably never was.
Starmer is a political weather vane. Spits on his finger and holds it up to see which way the wind blows. Will say anything with all the sincerity of a hookers come on. If things don't improve, for him or the right wing 'Labour' party, there'll be a heave against him. Even if that doesn't dislodge him he'll be toast electorally.
There is something so completely wrong and wholly insincere about Stammer. I can see why he’s popular among Sunak tories, as he’s more or less adopted all their policies. He has no political conviction of his own and has lost all moral authority. It’s taken 14 hellish years to get here and when he’s kicked out at next election, he’ll still be parroting “But we did manage to stick to our fiscal constraints.”
And you haven't metioned those in prison for peaceful protest. I expected them to be released when Labour got in, but no, Starmerology is about ignoring what the judiciary have labelled as unlawful imprisonment. He has learned from Trump how he can lie his way out of anything. We need a frikkin' revolution and real Labour MPs should be leading it.
Exactly this but I do think there is one thing that people miss. I don't think he's just rabble rousing reform - the ease he comes out with these race baiting statements about Bangladeshis and starving Palestinians etc - the guy seems to very much believe in this stuff. Remember, some of his Muslim MPs say he hasn't spoken to them for years but he strode across the house of commons when he saw farage to have a chat and a giggle.
Prior to the election I - a brown, Muslim woman - told people that if it was between labour and reform, vote reform as Keir Starmer is the most dangerous man in Britain.
They should've voted reform. Even reform's manifesto (which they invariably did not read) said that the UK needed immigration
I think we should encourage left-wing Labour MPs to quit Labour. This post of 48 hours ago suggesting Zarah Sultana to leave the party has proved very popular. https://theleftlane2024.substack.com/p/zarah-the-working-class-needs-leaders
I think we need dissenters in the party, that is until Jeremy Corbyns new party "~)
Perhaps have a read of THE LEFT LANE of 22 May: https://theleftlane2024.substack.com/p/a-new-socialist-left-party-in-the +++ Alan Story, editor.
Thank you Alan ~ it was a very informative read. I especially loved this quote from Rodrigo Nunes
“distributed leadership” in left-wing organisations. This type of leadership “lifts the weight off a particular organisation or individual with a leadership position and distributes it across the ecology the organisation to fulfil the function of leadership.
I'm not sure whether I have faith in a new party (most politicians seem so corruptible!) I have faith in Jeremy Corbyn & his manifesto.
I think now i'd rather see a mass movement that will overthrow & create, as you say, bottom up policies and a change in the way the government operates. It is disproportionate.
Can we have a round table please "~P
Kaleid: 1) Glad you liked THE LEFT LANE piece. 2) Have you heard the saying " I am from Missouri on that one"" ? It means I don't trust anyone unless they show me... which is why that state is called the " show me " state. In other words, I need evidence. (https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/missouri/state-nickname/show-me-state). In politics, I don't think we should have faith in leaders, including Corbyn. A new party needs to be set up and closely controlled by people and then we do NOT need to have faith in any one, well, except our selves. Alan
To be honest I think the moment has gone - it was five years ago - and I’m not convinced I trust them any more. If you look at it objectively, they have achieved what Sanders and AOC are going to do in America - scooped up all the potential energy that might have left Labour and returned it to neoliberalism. They have continued to take the money while continuing to follow the whip. My “Socialist Campaign Group” MP never appears on the shrinking list of names who refused to vote for the latest discrace.
I quite dispirited because I recognise that it will take at least a decade, probably two before we get a viable option together for an election, and frankly I don’t think we have four election cycles before the shit hits the fan.
It’s all fucked. Corbyn and his mates had the chance to try to fix it but they dithered and now it’s all fucked. The end of the world is nigh (literally, not even joking) and nobody is going to even try to do anything about it.
Amos: I also have many questions about Corbyn and his political mates as well. Some think he and his political approach are indispensable to form a new party. Lots of us don't agree. Alan
What is profoundly depressing is the way that "Labourites" have clung on to a party that self evidently is no longer "Labour", but more like "Likud UK", because of course many of those Starmer (a self declared "Zionist without qualification") has surrounded himself with are rabid Zionists and some of those have been given peerages courtesy of Starmer (Ellman, Berger, Smeeth), which also explain s the totally amoral Labour approach to the Gaza genocide beyond the usual lip service to the prevailing empire narrative. Compare the approach to Israel by the British Labour Party under Starmer to that of the Spanish Socialist Party under Pedro Sanchez, where they have refused docking facilities to Israeli shipping, lent support to the recognition of the Palestinian state, and recently cancelled a large ammunition order placed with Israel. It has been suggested that the recent nationwide blackout in Spain was the Israeli response.
However coming back to Starmer's deserved fall in popularity the other profoundly depressing aspect is that the TUC and the unions have not been particularly vocal in opposing a lot of Starmer's neo-liberal economic "austerity", nonsense and continue to ensure that "Labour" is economically viable. Personally I agree with Chris Williamson, a member of the party for forty years, who is of the view that "Labour is dead" - I agree, we need a new party on the left fighting for socialist values - that is not Labour and arguably never was.
Oh of course he’s given peerages to ellman and Berger. Pair of dickheads. People of Liverpool never wanted either of them.
Luciana Berger’s entire political career has been given to her by shady back room stitch-ups, back to her initial selection as mp.
Starmer is a political weather vane. Spits on his finger and holds it up to see which way the wind blows. Will say anything with all the sincerity of a hookers come on. If things don't improve, for him or the right wing 'Labour' party, there'll be a heave against him. Even if that doesn't dislodge him he'll be toast electorally.
There is something so completely wrong and wholly insincere about Stammer. I can see why he’s popular among Sunak tories, as he’s more or less adopted all their policies. He has no political conviction of his own and has lost all moral authority. It’s taken 14 hellish years to get here and when he’s kicked out at next election, he’ll still be parroting “But we did manage to stick to our fiscal constraints.”
I'm an American, so what Labour is doing isn't amazing at all. I've seen the Democrats do it at least three times.
It’s the dual personality of Tweedledee and Tweedledum in the person of Keir Starmer. It is what I say it is until I say it isn’t.
And you haven't metioned those in prison for peaceful protest. I expected them to be released when Labour got in, but no, Starmerology is about ignoring what the judiciary have labelled as unlawful imprisonment. He has learned from Trump how he can lie his way out of anything. We need a frikkin' revolution and real Labour MPs should be leading it.
Well now, we get what we deserve, or so they used to tell us when I was little, a looooonnnnngg time ago!
Exactly this but I do think there is one thing that people miss. I don't think he's just rabble rousing reform - the ease he comes out with these race baiting statements about Bangladeshis and starving Palestinians etc - the guy seems to very much believe in this stuff. Remember, some of his Muslim MPs say he hasn't spoken to them for years but he strode across the house of commons when he saw farage to have a chat and a giggle.
Prior to the election I - a brown, Muslim woman - told people that if it was between labour and reform, vote reform as Keir Starmer is the most dangerous man in Britain.
They should've voted reform. Even reform's manifesto (which they invariably did not read) said that the UK needed immigration
That’s a bold thing for a Muslim woman to say (“Reform are the lesser evil”) but I don’t disagree. I think the man is evil and profoundly dangerous.