Justice for all: Burnham needs to do much more
JVL Introduction
There are many people and many groups who have been let down by Labour under Keir Starmer’s leadership. Everyone would like to believe that a new Prime Minister who says he wants to change things and end neoliberalism will make a difference. But his actions and appointments are not consistent with what he says about positive change. For example disabled people are worried with talk of a need to cut benefits, especially when Burnham has appointed Healey as Chancellor, the same man who resigned Secretary of Defence as he wanted a more significant increase in military spending than Starmer and Reeves were comfortable with. Equally keeping Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary and voting for the Bill she proposed which will make life even harder for migrants and refugees.
Two more key issues: Palestine has been and will continue to be an electoral issue for many; Burnham acknowledged that Labour made mistakes but he needs to do much more, not least impose serious sanctions – and not only on trading with settlements – to make the difference needed. He has been heavily criticised by the Jewish Establishment for his moderate criticism, so he has nothing to lose by taking the action needed. Talk of restarting drilling for oil, eg at Rosebank are also worrying and show a lack of understanding about climate change and the impact on the poorest countries and communities in many parts of the world.
We would love to be proven wrong but it seems that we will have more of the same with a friendlier tone. Certainly on Gaza the view of The New Arab is that “Labour paid a political price for Gaza but under Andy Burnham, Britain’s Middle East policy is likely to change more in tone than in substance
This article was originally published by Morning Star on Mon 20 Jul 2026. Read the original here.
Burnham told to reject politics of hate and division
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It is the same old with a different face.
One guy eloquently put it ‘ it’s like the deckchairs on the Titanic. You can move them around but the outcome is the same’.
I couldn’t put it better…..
Where is the backbone to address Genocide?
I’ve started getting the Morning Star again…
Psychoanalysis is frequently used in Public Relations marketing. Worth recalling for the first two years of the fraud that was New Labour they stuck to Tory spending policies, channelling money into the pockets of the Corporate Rich. Subsequently, when taxes on this profiteering came in New Labour made some minor spending gestures in pretence, they were real Labour. Now they’ve stuck ‘bad dad’, and ‘good dad’ Public Relations iconography on this process. Out goes first two years bad dad Starmer. In comes good dad Burnham. Except nothing has really changed. Starmer’s welched-on taxing-the-rich Labour leadership manifesto oaths are still out the window. Burnham is sticking to GE manifesto that replaced them. Burnham’s continued neoliberal support for the US Empires war machine – allowing its use of UK’s airbases. Corbyn and Sultana are still expunged and Diane Abbott has still to receive her apology. The persecution of Palestine Ac#ion and protest rights continue. John Lydon – “Ever feel you’ve been conned!?