I decided on the 13th I’d rejoin the party, after Corbyn said he’d go. I believe this will give me a say. I’m really saddened by Lewis’s pronouncement today about a referendum, because a show like that will drag him down and out. It’s not what the party needs. We need above all a John Smith character. Someone who the country can believe. We need someone who can come up with a viable stance that’s believable and achievable. Someone who can communicate that vision. Someone as untainted by Corbyn as possible. To my mind Starmer’s supporting if Smith is an advantage in this area. He’s also likely to be on top of his brief, and seems eminently sensible.
Labour need to understand they have a massive battle ahead and whilst Starmer might not be the ultimate victor, he might be the one who can lead them out of the wilderness. I know Seanm may see my support for him as proof that he’s a centrist, but I’m sure that some of the Northern areas can be brought back into the fold when the promised sunlit uplands don’t appear. A cogent alternative has to be there. A bit of nationalisation great, take back the railways as the opportunity arises. Prove that the national companies are better, then look for other areas. Joint ownership and workers rights, brilliant, those are areas that may soon seem important as divergence from the EU develops. The NHS of course. Stick to that, don’t throw everything up at once, it scares people, and it’s not deliverable. Anyone who’s led anything knows that the status quo is easy, the difficulty is managing change. People are terrified of it unless there’s something very tangible in it for them. That’s why privatisation went well for Thatcher.
I don’t see any of the others being able to what’s necessary and persuade a bitter and divided country to vote for the party.