March 18th 2024 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal
When Tony Blair was first elected in a landslide victory in May 1997 it was heralded as a new socialist era for the country. Rather than being the heavily left-wing leader that many Labour leaders had previously clung to (Kinnock comes to mind immediately, a specialist in failure) Blair was far more centrist. Initially Blair was a God-like figure, the first Labour Prime Minister in just under two decades who could bring about much needed change to the Tory policies that had ripped holes in the North and destroyed the economy (see Tony Blair article for his list of accomplishments whilst in government).
But slowly, core supporters turned against Blair, even before the Iraq catastrophe. They realised he was not as left-wing as they had hoped. He was far more centrist, willing to compromise and often referred to as a ‘Red Tory’.
What these supporters fail to understand is that Labour is not a protest party. It is not a single-issue party. It is not UKIP. It is not the Green Party. It is not even the Liberal Democrats. It is the opposition party – their duty is to hold the government to account, challenge their decisions, represent their constituents, and pass laws benefiting people that voted for them.
Cast your mind back to Jeremy Corbyn. The most left-wing leader the Labour party has had in decades thanks to the support of Momentum. Every PM Questions he was shouted at, he asked pointless questions and, if we are completely honest, he achieved very little.
Did he support Brexit? Not really sure. Did he like the EU? Not really sure. He even faced a second leadership contest (which he somehow won) because it soon became aware to anyone with a political compass that this was not the man who could get Labour back into power.
The final straw, for me and perhaps many others who had previously supported them, came in the 2017 general election. Labour increased its share of the vote to 40%, with Labour’s 9.6% vote swing being its largest since the 1945 general election. Under Corbyn, Labour achieved a net gain of 30 seats and a hung parliament. This was celebrated by Corbyn and Momentum as a huge victory and a sign of a better future. But the party remained in Opposition. They were in Opposition … yet again. That is not a victory. Use your swing statistics, blame the media, do whatever you like. Corbyn lost and would never win.
An analogy? Champions League Final – AFC Wimbledon (Tories) are 5-0 ahead at half time. Liverpool (that’s how good Corbyn fans think he was) get a huge swing to make it 5-3. A good step forward. But it’s a loss. And, for me at least, the analogy of Wimbledon still beating Liverpool is especially apt when one considers the Prime Minister at the time – Theresa May. Remember how unbelievably unpopular she was? Her weird dancing, the confusion over Brexit … I could go on. Obviously this has been overshadowed by Boris’ tomfoolery. But does anyone really believe that a competent leader would have lost to Theresa May in 2017?
So what did Blair understand that Brown, Miliband and Corbyn miss? Well, I must admit that Blair did destroy the reputation of the Labour Party with the Iraq invasion in 2003, but this cannot be the whole explanation?
In fact, the reality is much simpler. Blair understood politics. There is a basic rule in politics if you want to get elected. Appeal to the ‘undecided voters’. Yes, keep your core base on-side, but gain the respect and votes of people who either would not normally vote for your Party or vote at all. Corbyn appealed to a number of young voters who don’t understand that you can only make change when you’re in power. Opposition has its limits.
That’s why Murdoch, The Sun, the media, pretty much every member of the establishment hates Keir Starmer. Because he could win. They compare him to Labour in a negative way because they fear the change he could bring if he won and made positive changes. He will win the next election; he will bring about change. But we’ll have to wait 5 years for that. Starmer isn’t a ‘Red Tory’. He’s a political winner. He understands what it will take to defeat this government. His performances at Prime Minister Questions are exceptional as a former lawyer it almost appears as if he were cross-examining Boris as if he were a criminal (technically that’s not libel because I did not directly call Boris a criminal). But the way Boris squirms, dodges and loses reveals Boris for the criminal he is. (That is potentially libel, but it’s only libel if it isn’t true remember).
If you are a member of the Labour Party you should be throwing all your support behind Starmer – he is your only chance of getting into power again. And liberals who see him as a ‘Second Blair’ would do well to remember that they haven’t won an election since Blair. Stick to your principles and achieve no change, compromise, and get into power where you can make real change. It’s as simple as that you are patronising Corbyn supporters.
Starmer is a strong leader and has potential, but Labour right now need someone with a killer instinct for politics. Someone who would hammer Boris Johnson on the cost-of-living crisis every week during Prime Minister’s Questions. Starmer does not do this. Whether people want to admit it or not, Blair would have.
In the words of the great Jeff Daniels: “If liberals are so goddamn right why do they lose so goddamn always?”
Ignorantly Ignorant 