If we wait until a figure arrives whose opinions and moral rectitude coincide unerringly with our own, we will be waiting quite a while.
Interesting contrast between that statement, and your lengthy response below.
Perhaps not, but the answer to your question was implicit in my response. Nevertheless I shall be less oblique. The last 14 years have been undeniably hellish. Corbyn briefly offered a break from the status quo: Starmer does no such thing. His ascension to the leadership of the Labour Party represented the comprehensive re-establishment of the Blairite right firmly back to a position of control.
I have rehearsed what I consider to be Starmer’s failings on many previous posts, but I will recap what I assert to be the most damaging. He came to power falsely claiming he would continue the direction of travel under Corbyn. He then set about doing completely the opposite. He has reneged on abolishing student fees, universal credit, the punitive benefit sanctions that see disabled persons forced to work, the new green deal, increasing taxation for top earners, abolishing the House of Lords, ending outsourcing and privatisation in the NHS, and abandoning rent control reform. This list is far from exhaustive.
Furthermore, he refuses to scrap the two child benefit cap, refuses to repeal the most repressive anti-trade union legislation in Western Europe, has instructed his MP’s not to attend picket lines or support public sector striking workers. He continues to facilitate genocide in Gaza and lied that he did not support Israel’s ‘right’ to cut off power and water to Gaza. He refuses to call out Kemi Badenoch’s transphobia (preferring instead to have a pop at David Tennant) and a couple of days ago, appeared on a platform of the most disgustingly reactionary, anti-working class newspaper in the U.K. spouting the sort of racist filth we’d previously associated with Nick Griffin’s BNP.
I get the desire to be rid of the Tories. I share it. But I can see no reasonable cause for optimism that a Starmer administration promises any significant ideological or political break with the last 14 years of Tory rule, but will in fact do enormous damage by dashing people's desperate desire for change, and creating a huge space for Farage’s Reform, who will simply point to Starmer’s betrayals and invite people to put their faith in him instead.
And above, yes, you lay out a pretty comprehensive condemnation of Starmer, much of which is difficult to dispute. I've made clear on many occasions that I'm no Starmer fan, and for what it's worth now, I was pretty much OK with Corbyn's ambitions and his economics, though his leadership style left an awful lot to be desired.
One major element that you seem to leave out of the equation, is the power of the press and media. You know as well as I do that it was the UK Media, including elements within the BBC, which created the lasting image of Corbyn as a far left and dangerous character, anti-semite and terrorist lover with massive and ruinous socialist tax and spend plans. You know as well as I do that their depiction was deliberately distorted and damaging. In short, both the media and the establishment (is there a difference?) were terrified of him and set about destroying him. Sadly, he took the Labour Party down with him. Not intentionally or deliberately, but that was the effect of him 'scaring the horses' and being unable to 'sell' his perfectly reasonable policies.
Starmer has obviously courted the press, 'big money' etc.. so that, knowing that their 'pet' Tories have royally ****ed everythinhg up... at the very least are prepared to 'suspend hostilities', in return for what they perceive as a less threatening stance than Corbyn. Has he gone too far in that direction? Has he promised too much? Has he surrendered to the Neoliberal Consensus and Oligarchy? Almost certainly, but he's not the first and he also represents the only hope, in the short term, of ridding us of the rampant corruption, self interest and incompetence of the Tories. That is all any of us can hope for
from this particular election and I'm all ears for anyone who can suggest a better alternative, at this point, or any way in which we can begin to break the hold which the international neolib conspiracy has on our Democracy.
(As an aside.. I'm firmly of the opinion that Capitalism is in its death throes. Throughout history, different economic models, from slavery, to feudalism, bullionism, mercantilism, capitalism and now the variant neoliberalism, have held precedence. None have been universally applied world wide at any one time, there is overlap, coexistence etc.., and elements of all remain.. but the dominance of Capitalism for the last couple of centuries is beginning to crumble. Sadly, the development of Democracy in parallel to Capitalism looks very much like it might also be on the way out. What will replace Capitalism and Democracy? I have no idea.. but as the World continues on its inevitable journey to destruction, the weight of History clearly points to some other system. It's not hard to imagine a system where 'value' resides in increasingly scarce resources such as clean air, open space, water, etc.. but enough for now.)
So, keeping it brief, I now find myself in the same situation as most of the population, and all of the Left of Centre population. I.E. Where now?
Yes, we might send a message to Starmer by boosting the Green and LibDem vote, but that is risky in many constituencies which Labour need to win.
What do you suggest? Would you sooner die on a hill of rejected left wing policy, or live to fight another day?
You really are a bit twee. Always guaranteed to show up in pious robes wringing your hands. Even so, the tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh.
Then I'm a bit twee too.. I've had two, mercifully minor strokes in the last 20 years. Even minor strokes can cause huge damage to mood, thought processes, mental health, cognition etc. Think yourself lucky if you've avoided such delights and try to develop sufficient emotional intelligence to argue without resort to wishing them on others.
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