It is no accident (as we Marxists often say) that on the day the New left party was announced, Keir Starmer made a statement on the situation in Gaza. “We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people” he said, and wrote, and tweeted.
Cynics will argue that this statement, which we have waited for for for nearly two years, is a direct response to his realisation that he has destroyed the Labour Party, his electoral prospects and what’s left of his reputation.
Most people believe that Starmer’s views on the Palestine issue were made clear back in October 2023, when he was asked by Ferrari on LBC, “Does Israel have the right to cut off food … cut off water?”
“I believe Israel does have that right” he replied.
And though, a week later after hundreds of resignations from the party and the ritual humiliation of Labour ministers and MPs trying to defend their leader on TV, he still didn’t apologise.
In what we now expect of him, he denied that he had said it. He would call it a “clarification”, but we all know it was a lie.
Many of us believe that it was statements like Starmer’s and those of other senior world figures - I won’t call them statesmen - which gave Netanyahu tacit approval to launch the operations which continue today.
What he also did, and I doubt whether either he or McSweeney understood this, was cross a line as far as the Labour membership was concerned.
Do I need to enumerate his passion for right wing policies? His cuts to winter fuel allowance, the two child benefit cap, disability benefits? All these were measures of which ordinary people said, “I didn’t vote Labour for this.”
At the same time, he dragged into the condemnation his own MPs, who, against their better judgement, embarrassed and demeaned themselves by voting for him and justifying his policies. And if they did stand up for themselves, for Labour policies, they were suspended after being told of the new listening approach to party business.
As for ordinary members, we were told that the door was open and we didn’t like it, we could go.
So we did.
This was quite an achievement. Even Tony Blair, during and post Iraq managed to maintain a reasonably broad church. But Tony Blair was advised by Peter Mandelson, who told him that the working class and the lefties had nowhere else to go.
Well, now we do.
I have no idea what the new party will be called - my lot can’t even agree on a name for our What’sApp group! - but that doesn’t matter. Conference will sort it. Conference will debate and decide our policies and our leadership group.
We will, I hope, reach out to other left leaning parties and organisations, including those in the Green Party who embrace socialism and share our commitment to democracy.
You see, Starmer, this is not for you and yours. McSweeney’s focus groups won’t have a role. And nor will McSweeney.
You see, it is not merely a new party. It is new kind of political party.
Today from the everysmith vaults: At this moment I am listening to Test Match Special, but before the day's play started, it was The Poet's Echo CD. Not the Britten, wonderful though that is, but the Shostakovich - Four Pushkin Romances Opus 46 - sung beautifully (of course) by Gareth Brynmor John.
Cynics will argue that this statement, which we have waited for for for nearly two years, is a direct response to his realisation that he has destroyed the Labour Party, his electoral prospects and what’s left of his reputation.
Most people believe that Starmer’s views on the Palestine issue were made clear back in October 2023, when he was asked by Ferrari on LBC, “Does Israel have the right to cut off food … cut off water?”
“I believe Israel does have that right” he replied.
And though, a week later after hundreds of resignations from the party and the ritual humiliation of Labour ministers and MPs trying to defend their leader on TV, he still didn’t apologise.
In what we now expect of him, he denied that he had said it. He would call it a “clarification”, but we all know it was a lie.
Many of us believe that it was statements like Starmer’s and those of other senior world figures - I won’t call them statesmen - which gave Netanyahu tacit approval to launch the operations which continue today.
What he also did, and I doubt whether either he or McSweeney understood this, was cross a line as far as the Labour membership was concerned.
Do I need to enumerate his passion for right wing policies? His cuts to winter fuel allowance, the two child benefit cap, disability benefits? All these were measures of which ordinary people said, “I didn’t vote Labour for this.”
At the same time, he dragged into the condemnation his own MPs, who, against their better judgement, embarrassed and demeaned themselves by voting for him and justifying his policies. And if they did stand up for themselves, for Labour policies, they were suspended after being told of the new listening approach to party business.
As for ordinary members, we were told that the door was open and we didn’t like it, we could go.
So we did.
This was quite an achievement. Even Tony Blair, during and post Iraq managed to maintain a reasonably broad church. But Tony Blair was advised by Peter Mandelson, who told him that the working class and the lefties had nowhere else to go.
Well, now we do.
I have no idea what the new party will be called - my lot can’t even agree on a name for our What’sApp group! - but that doesn’t matter. Conference will sort it. Conference will debate and decide our policies and our leadership group.
We will, I hope, reach out to other left leaning parties and organisations, including those in the Green Party who embrace socialism and share our commitment to democracy.
You see, Starmer, this is not for you and yours. McSweeney’s focus groups won’t have a role. And nor will McSweeney.
You see, it is not merely a new party. It is new kind of political party.
Today from the everysmith vaults: At this moment I am listening to Test Match Special, but before the day's play started, it was The Poet's Echo CD. Not the Britten, wonderful though that is, but the Shostakovich - Four Pushkin Romances Opus 46 - sung beautifully (of course) by Gareth Brynmor John.
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