A former Labour MP has had enough
JVL Introduction
Perspectives on the General Election (5)
We repost two brief notes by former Labour MP Colin Challen, now former Labour member.
Always considering himself as on the “soft left”, Challen is appalled by the dominance of old-style machine politics and the mushrooming control freakery. For him the vindictive treatment of Diane Abbott was the last straw.
“I can no longer stay in a party led by a serial liar.”
The “change” that Starmer represents, affirms Challen, is merely a change of personnel not of direction of the ship of state – and a desperate attempt to dampen any expectation of hope.
“All I can say about the next likely party in power is that of the two, Labour is the least worst option. It’s an exceedingly low bar.”
RK
An inspector calls
31/5/2024
As this ex-MP left the Labour Party, another ex-MP joined—you guessed, a Tory. So Starmer’s right—Labour is the party of change. But it seems the change is merely one of personnel, there is no change proposed for the course of the ship of state nor will there be. There is one thing that is totally absent from Starmer’s so-called ‘retail offer,’ namely the word ‘hope.’ He and his acolytes have done everything they could possibly do to dampen any expectation of hope. This is what is called serious politics, which is to say you can’t make any real change if the system won’t allow you to, and of course you’re not prepared to challenge the system lest it puts a rocket up your backside a la Corbyn (who it has to be said wasn’t prepared for it). I wonder if this absence of hope will dampen support for Labour. When a certain cohort of voters used to say ‘they’re all the same’ I assumed that they meant politicians were merely in it for themselves. Now, with no distinct difference in party policies the accusation takes on a deeper significance.
Another aspect of Starmer’s self-assumed ‘change’ appeal is his repeated claim that he has changed the Labour Party, making ‘tough decisions.’ But, as highlighted by the Abbott case, and the wider context of parliamentary selections, old-style machine politics remains dominant. I am not surprised—Labour’s General Secretary David Evans dates from Margaret McDonagh’s day (when I worked for the party too) and New Labour was just finding its feet. The development of control freakery has mushroomed, accelerated by Starmer’s purge of the left after the JC blip, the ’left’ being those members who want to see actual as opposed to merely presentational change. Evans is very much flying below the radar and is keeping out of the public eye. Michael Crick seems to be one of the few journalists who is looking deeply into Labour’s machine politics. Such an inspection is long overdue.
My changed Labour Party
30/5/2024
I really thought I could stick with it, but I can no longer resist the urge to resign from the Labour Party. After 40 years’ of continuous membership, and having personally benefited so much from it, I can no longer stay in a party led by a serial liar. The straw that has broken the camel’s back is his and his faction’s treatment of Diane Abbott. I can’t say I was ever a fan of hers, in fact I found her a bit irritating. But she has a thousand more reasons to be accepted as a Labour candidate in this general election than, say Natalie Elphick being welcomed into the party. Starmer knew the so-called ‘investigation’ into Abbott had been completed months ago, yet only in the last few days he was repeating the lie that it was an ongoing process. How can someone who brazenly lies be trusted about anything? From every one of his porous promises to gain the leadership he has set a pattern of disingenuous retreat, reversal and outright denial, aped by those who cluster around him. He says he has changed the Labour Party. He certainly has—for the worse. I cannot subscribe any longer to this cynical mountebank’s vision even though to get rid of the Tories it will still be necessary in many places to vote Labour. But where there is a decent alternative (Islington North comes to mind) others should be supported. All I can say about the next likely party in power is that of the two, Labour is the least worst option. It’s an exceedingly low bar.
I wonder if I have moved leftwards in recent years, and perhaps it’s me that’s changed, not the Labour Party. I think I may always have considered myself ‘soft left,’ but even that appellation would be unacceptable to the Starmeroids, compelled as they are to root out any breeding ground for internal opposition, lest a Corbyn re-emerge. I regret that such a big part of my life has to end this way, but I would regret it all the more living in a pretend world of fealty to a second rate despot (first rate despots needn’t apply). There are lots of good people in the party who deserve better. I think a lot of them are biting their tongues. The desire to be rid of the Tories cannot be underestimated, but nor should that desire be manipulated for the benefit of a leader who serves only as an establishment buggins’ turn puppet and is now working hard to fill his parliamentary ranks with rubber stamps.
Colin Challen’s career up to 2010 included being in HM Forces (RAF), a postie, student, self-employed printer and publisher, political organiser and between 2001 and 2010 Labour MP for Morley and Rothwell. During my time as an MP I founded the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change, and served for nine years on the Environmental Audit Select Committee and later the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. An Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a lifetime member of the British Humanist Association.
Someone needs to have a word with Starmer telling him the LP is not his personal fiefdom. It never belongs to any leader they just get the privilege to guide it for a few years before their is a new one