Democracy is dead in Keir Starmer’s Labour

It is absolutly clear to me that the main focus for socialists and genuine trade unionists has to be in the workplaces, in industry and in the union branches.

Is this the first time the Guardian has carried an explicit statement from someone on antisemitism weaponisation? If so they must feel safe that they won as indeed they have: Ken Loach and Leah Levane and many others are expelled and more will be soon (anyone identifiable who attended the Resist event, for example).

“Can the left respond? How can we achieve the structural change so desperately needed?”

That is, indeed, the question. And I speak as one on the verge of leaving Labour.

“A new party would face the same difficulties as in the past. But we need a new initiative – a broad, inclusive, independent labour movement that unites those both in and outside the Labour party. It should be led by people who are recognised, principled and trusted, and the support of left unions would be critical.”

It sounds great, and if I thought it had a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding, I’d join it. But, under the FPTP electoral system we have, it doesn’t. It’ll either sink without trace like many others before it, or, if we’re “successful”, we’ll split the Labour vote, win maybe a dozen or two MPs, at the cost of allowing the Tories to take another 60 or so from Labour, letting the Tories into government for generations to come. That is, pretty much, what happened the last time a party “successfully” split off from Labour (I’m old enough to remember it, and I’m sure ken Loach is too.)

I’m afraid it seems all too likely that “…the left will fragment again and descend into sectarianism. Hundreds of thousands will remain politically homeless.”

Disputes? Possible solutions? (Apart from abandoning FPTP and backing PR, of course, but we’re not in a position to do that).

Having watched and listened to Starmer`s long, turgid, empty, diatribe, I can only conclude that his role is to destroy democracy and rid Socialists from the Labour Party. His claim to be a “patriot” is offering a hand to the nationalist racist right and the dangerous path of populism. I am no longer in despair or surprised when comrades were excluded from entry to the Conference or when the Young Labour event was mysteriously cancelled without the knowledge of its members by a Labour Staffer. Neither was I surprised that the live stream plug was pulled on the debate on Palestine.
Its clear that Socialism, anti-racism and support for human rights isnt dead: activists havent faded away because David Evans and his henchmen have expelled and suspended members, whilst thousands have walked away.
The logistics of how we all unite to co-ordinate the fight at grass-roots level and make our voices heard against the Establishment Media din is a big issue. Im afraid I dont have an answer to that one, but we clearly need to combine our beliefs in democracy, socialism and anti-racism with our practical experience and organisation.
United we stand.

The Idea of an independent Labour party is a good idea and the name could also work to our advantage by getting our point across that we are different from the tories and starmers labour party
The most important thing would be getting our voices and our ideas accross to the people without getting silenced by the biased MSM
If we could get people to listen to what we stand for and persuade them that an Independent Labour party is a party that is different to both the tories and the existing Labour party and show the public that we mean business by the membership that we would attract because of what we would be standing for I don’t think we would be short of people joining or raising the funding that would be required.
We need to be able to show that we will represent a wide majority of the public and listen to various groups of people from all walks of life And for each different group to have their own representative so we can understand their needs and listen to any ideas they have that would help us all going foreward as the Independent party
Maybe call it
The Peoples Independent Party
with the slogan of
Your Pathway for a Better Future

So, some of us are in, and some of us are out.

The right have been merciless and focused. Well we can be focused too… and merciless, though not merciless in the dishonest, mud-slinging, unprincipled, virulent ways the right have shocked us with.

They keep telling us, only thing the right are interested in is seats.

Cushy jobs with status in parliament. A stage where they can luxuriate in self-importance.

Therefore their weak point is the ballot box. The ballot box is the main route to their command and control centre, their parliamentary havens where they plot their machinations against and hide from and dominate the membership.

What we have been forced to consider is not voting for the right-wing MPs who voted for the rolling back of democracy that was passed at conference. Not voting for MPs who have shown their disrespect for democracy by harrying, attacking and ruining the reputation of the party whilst Jeremy Corbyn was leader. Not voting for MPs who do not support re-selection contests before every election.

Support Labour candidates, and Green candidates, and other candidates, not based on their party badge, their false colours, but on their records.

We have no control any more over who our MPs are. The only control we have is in the ballot boxes provided by the state.

Are we going to use that power ?

Right on Ken! Or should I say… Left on Ken!

PS So what’s happening with the Guardian suddenly giving space to truth-tellers?!

And let us not forget the appalling conference speech from Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey:

https://cnduk.org/labour-for-nato-for-nukes-for-militarism/

I’m surprised there are no comments on this piece about Ken Loach’s interview as I submitted a fairly lengthy one making a mild critiscism of Jeremy Corbyn during his 50 years membership of the Party. Had he not had sufficient experience of the treacherous shenanigans of the rightwing in the PLP to justify not trusting any of them, neither those openly hostile from day one of his leadership, nor those he asked to join him in the shadow cabinet but whose political record should have given him pause for thought as to when to expect the knife in the back from them?
Has Jeremy been elevated to uncritical political sainthood? There were some in the Party such as myself who’d joined in 1960 naively believing the Labour Party leadership was to be believed, only to have our illusions shattered by their attempts to scupper their own youth movement’s campaign in 1962/63 against the sudden growth of mass unemployment. We certainly learned a bitter lesson about the schemes and treachery of the Party’s right-wing, how come Jeremy was so unprepared for it decades later? Political leopards rarely change their spots!
Those who decide what contributions appear on the JVL’s online newsletters no doubt might explain why my previous contribution on this matter hasn’t thus far shown up?

We sadly are on the road to an authoritarian, undemocratic and fascist society/state, and shockingly it is Labour leadership who is pushing this forward. It started with edicts, ruling debates out of order, disallowing any form of criticism, suspending members who spoke up about this, expulsions, the barring of organisations they dislike immensely because they are socialist and challenge them, their actions.
From mr starters speech only two things are in my memory (I actually nodded off during it): his insistence on patriotism, total law and order stuff. That for me is impossible. When working through the history of my country between 1933 and 1945, I learnt very quickly the risk of this wrong kind of patriotism which was coupled to racism and antisemitism. My generation of people grew up seeing themselves as Europeans first and foremost. We re in Europe we were born was not down to us. We also were very much aware of wanting to do all we could to stop a repeat.
You see we did not learn about this dark part in our history at school or by reading books. German history ended in 1933 and restarted in 1945.
Re in or out, I am pulled in two directions at the same time. I think we need to reflect on the past 20 months, the conference and the filthy dishonest tactics employed by the leadership and their acolytes. We need to discus strategies to counter them effectively.