For a long time now I have been sympathising with social media friends in England. If they have social values of any kind they have been left with nowhere to go. Politically England has been moving further and further to the right to try and solve their problems. Along the way they just seem to be creating more problems.
At the moment the party of the working class is facing two leadership elections. The “debate” the other night for the Scottish leader was simply pathetic. It was also a complete waste of time, as is the election. The leadership in England has decried there will be no autonomy for ‘Scottish Labour.’ It is merely a wee talking shop in the Scottish regional office to keep them out of any debate and decision making in the Labour Party UK. Scottish labour will continue to be the dog’s tail and wag at its master’s instruction.
Onto the UK Labour leader election. We have just had all but one Labour MP drummed out of Scotland. England (the majority of the UK seats) couldn’t return enough Labour MP’s to hold the Tories to account. Yet still three of the four leader contenders absolutely refuse to acknowledge the centre ground, never mind glance to the left. It’s like they have pulled hoods over their heads and are determined to follow the New Labour path that has lead them to their current demise.
When Jeremy Corbyn put his hat in the ring for the contest everyone thought it was a joke. Most of the political commentators said that effectively he was just there as a sop to the disaffected members. A bit of a protest vote. Certainly I would think most of the shadow executive just saw him as an irritant. One of the old lefties that they try to sweep under the carpet. Some of us sat up and started taking notice. Could this become interesting?
Maybe I am claiming credit for the Scots where it’s not due. Could it be that the English labour members saw what their elected MP’s did not? Did they notice that the power of the people could indeed change the political landscape as it had in Scotland. Did they dare to believe that they could recover some of their socialist values that New Labour had eroded? As I write this the Independent has published that Jeremy has a 22 point lead in a private Labour party polling. Now as we all know, polls are not to be believed but the Labour party establishment never thought he could have a lead like that.
The complacency and arrogance of the Labour organisation did not foresee that opening up the election of leader to supporters as well as members for the cost of £3 could cause them problems. As soon as I heard this I immediately saw a rush of disaffected Labour voters signing up to vote. Why did the Labour organisation not see that this would be the case?
If Jeremy Colbyn becomes the next leader of the Labour party he will have an impossible task but there may just be enough Labour MP’s with backbone to help him turn around the party and put it back on the side of the people. I wish him well.