<< "Labour, as currently constituted, cannot win a majority. Its structures are too ungainly, its
>> nostrums
>> >> too old, its activists too angry, its mood too sour. In Britain, as in
>> any
>> >> country, there is a chunk of the electorate in the market for a Left-of-centre
>> party.
>> >> But the language of picket lines is as foreign to that electorate as the
>> language
>> >> of “defund the police”."
How much if that is true and how much the talk of a right wing brexiteer Tory? He, FWIW, is public school>Oxford and, being an MEP before he was 30, has little experience of real life. MAybe a bit of journalism on the Telegraph. The reference to picket lines and defunding the police* does not reflect the reality of Labour policy.
There's a generation of voters out there who would need a picket line explaining to them.
The need for, but lack of support of a Social Democratic party is not unique to the UK. France has the same issue.
It was initially appealing after 2017 to think 'one more heave' and we could have the Tories out. Then, presented with the open goal of Johnson eviscerating his majority, the rest of the commons couldn't make it work and hold his feet to the fire.
As of course his strategists had bet.
Dragging the left of the party kicking and screaming to the concept that they need a majority to achieve anything is going to be hard work.
I'd imagine that when Starmer stood for the leadership he had a two year plan to reform the party and create a vision, as Blair did. He's been blown off course by the pandemic and now needs to get a grip and get back on the road. Loss of Hartlepool was probably inevitable given the Brexit Party got 25% last time and picking a fight with Angela Rayner, who appeals to both wings of the party, was just stupid.
They retained all their Mayors and won the new one in West Yorks convincingly. Why there and not in Tees Valley or the West Midlands which should be natural Labour territory?
*Defunding police/prisons could mean transferring resources to treatment and rehabilitation.
How much money is spaffed up catching people in small time drug related offending and imprisoning them? On discharge after a few weeks they're on the streets trying to get their benefits restored with next to no help. The DWP has a dedicated line but it's no good if you're released at court kicking out time on Friday after a sentence already served on remand.
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