Stationairy Starmer One Year On With No Roadmap To Power?

‘Today there is little buzz around labour, the easy task is not being Jeremy Corbyn that is achieved but what now? Where’s the ideas the alliances, forces not just to win but change society’ Neal Lawson director of the centre left campaign group for a progressive alliance named compass has told The Guardian as the labour leader is now a year in to the job but his leadership and vision is farce and myopic. Leading the opposition is incredibly hard job at anytime to appear as a government in waiting with galvanising support for your party and cleaning up your party is a priority for any leader a tough yet necessary job if you are to govern. The times we find ourselves in makes that a long road with new challenges for the second party ‘under new management’ but its leaders response should never to actively choose not to move. As a leader who says to represent what his predecessor was not he can not do that by staying stand still as you don’t win only frustrate the divisions in the party as you cease to lead. We are in a global pandemic and the second financial crisis in just over a decade where the economy and society never recovered from a period of austerity and the cultural divides leaving the European Union has left Britain in, where nation faces greatest economic crisis, greatest jobs crisis in living memory is a time the leader of the opposition could see to champion an idea to radically change the nation for good and embracing the parties values, the ideological values making that something to feel patriotic and thus being a vision people can support not just at the soap box but at the ballot box.

This I believe won’t happen under Starmer who’s largely represents what is pragmatic, centrism authoritarianism that could cost his chances of becoming prime minister if he is institutionally a conservative with defending patriotism of a romanticised Britain and a nation a Labour Party tough on crime, law and order. That opens up the devices between the two labour parties who want to reform or abolish the institutions those who want to defend their democracy when under attack or those who want to defend the status quo and institutions regardless of their flaws. Labour Party socialist party of the proletariat could be loosing its core foundational base as it struggles being out of power for over a decade and delivering only four leaders who went on to become prime minister after election the parties now at a point of frustration and yet more internal division and classic labour factionalism that’s preventing it getting into power and played into Labours failure in the 2019 General Election held in December that year serving labours worse election result in decades and a landslide majority that has lead the opposition powerless but Starmer frightened to use his wait in opposition is forensic but doesn’t see the prime minister running scared from Starmer. Especially when Starmer frequently votes with or abstains on many votes on legislation that is of key importance whether it is the coronavirus lockdown rules or the Brexit trade deal with the European Union Starmer’s mouth has been seen shut.

Sparking concerns with young progressives of the left wing of the Labour Party he doesn’t seem to be pleasing the more Corbynist or far left Democratic socialist wing of the party. Is it all apart of winning back the red wall? The issue is with moving the party forward Starmer finds himself at the stand still with selecting the path the party should go down next with prospects of an early election two years from 2021 this lack of building the foundations to his vision of where the party should be is rightly causing some concerns of those desperate to have a new party in government who’ve been let down by the Conservative government on matters of inequality that has been caused due to a decade of austerity and not any prospects of things becoming easier for generation ‘rent’ who have faced struggles as many industries including hospitality, tourism and retail have suffered throughout the pandemic leaving many businesses to close their doors. Many don’t see the party tuned into the grassroots snd trade unionists who want the Labour Party to represent the founding principles of putting the needs snd interests of labourers at the heart of the parties vision and values. It gets even harder for Starmer to oppose when Johnson’s Conservative government has promised the most radical state intervention of a Conservative government seen on decades and since prior to the Thatcherite era of economics that influenced Britain’s economy for a capitalist economy based on principles of a market economy. Starmer seems to think that it is sensible to side of caution to deliver fiscal responsibility and tread softly radical spending projects so far, But is that contrary to his pledges he made when he became leader and is that the politics of the day?

The pandemic disrupted what would have been a period of Starmer meeting with the electorate listening and talking, talking to grassroots supporters and galvanising and uniting factions of the party behind him that can seem near impossible if most communications is delivered remotely in videos from an empty room or on zoom or Microsoft team video conferences. But it’s possible to have with the current circumstances of draconian lockdowns expect a more lively and present opposition collaborative with the matters of working together to aid the country through the pandemic but providing clear opposition from when the government made clear errors and to oppose any wrongdoings was needed.

Both the conservatives and labour have faced factionalism and internal struggles as of late especially with matters of patriotism, nationhood and identity and of institutional and human rights concerns. Johnson divisions occur between nationalists, one nation conservatives, populists, liberationists and authoritarian politicians divided on different party caucuses that Johnson rather allows the different factions to battle it out to fatigue to then find the winning faction of the party. For Starmer his aim as becoming leader was to unite a divided party to becoming a party that could win elections and not allow brutal hostility and division grow between the ranks but heal the divides of a party at loss with its broad-church appeal and under the passed decade and with most recently under Corbyn’s leadership due to issues like antisemitism and the matters of ideological differences saw some centrists from the party team up with Conservative MPs who then found themselves under the matter of Britain leaving the European Union become politically homeless and needing a new centre ground option that is less ideological the now defunct ‘Change U.K.- Independent Party for Change’ was formed. There is little confidence that Starmer has met the target of uniting a divided party who gained an increase of new members under the Corbyn era that weren’t politically engaged prior that felt that his leadership, his populist leadership offered something different from the establishment seemed to took control of the party. With the party becoming at odds with what society at large wanted to vote for and what the politics of the day was which Corbyn’s insistence to not work beyond the bubble of his own party to people who consistently turn up to the ballot was one of many reasons why Corbyn ceased to become a winner in the public’s eyes but one of the parties most unelectable leaders.

The Labour leader has come under scrutiny for taking the left wing of the Labour Party and its support fore-granted and could loose a generation of support for the party with unclear vision of what it wants and what is the Britain the party stands for. This uncertainty could lead to progressive democratic socialists becoming politically homeless or finding a new political home in a more radical party like the Green Party who’ve actively expressed support of groups like Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion and wants the party to work and commit to working closer with trade unions which Sian Berry co-leader of the Green Party would want greater access to trade unions and supporting workers causes and union workers. With talk of bringing Peter Mandelson from the days of New Labour and Gordon Brown’s cabinet doesn’t symbolise a party moving forward but towards a day gone by. With New Labour’s pragmatic centrist policies fitting the nation at the time where there was by no means a national crisis the policies worked then but wouldn’t now after a pandemic when the line ‘Build Back Better’ is the mantra that doesn’t say build what came before. The Grassroots of the Labour Party and the majority of its internal caucuses and groups want a more bolder direction than what Starmer is offering and doesn’t want their party seen to be promoting a nationalist patriotism but a patriotism and a spirit that fixes societies problems. The coronavirus pandemic could if Johnson somehow think he’s a Churchill leader this could be Starmer’s Atlee moment there is a possible appetite if in the post pandemic era and to reform and rebuild our economy ignites a fourth industrial revolution that’s what one trade union leader hopes for.

In the new age of doing politics of the left and the new wave of socialist the rights of the labourers could see a shift to an era of collectivism in the demands of what union workers want. As after the second economic slump in just over a decade theres a demand for the trade unions to work together to deliver stable employment and a stable economy and take on multinational corporations like Amazon and Deliveroo where employees feel unrepresented by the work of trade unions due to companies opposing the work of and preventing unions from intervening in their business, there’s need to tackle the internal competition of trade unions and the politics within to understand demand and mobilise together. Some may feel they don’t trust Starmer to be the represent the labour movement.

With Johnson being able to offer a populist conservatism as a Etonian he can sound approachable to the working class to the workers that saw the landslide result for the Conservative party his journalistic experience made him a communicator someone regardless what you think of him able to persuade in argument and has done through snap shot phrases and slogans that capture the union eye of the voter. Keir doesn’t though in his youth a ideological socialist doesn’t have as leader his own vision and is falling silent of knowing how to come across as a credible leader in opposition even with the pandemic Starmer could’ve set his agenda how he would’ve protected the NHS and saved lives but he was very supportive and cooperative with the government at a time it seemed necessary but whats the point if you don’t challenge government on when it could do better. He could be selling a transformative agenda and commitment to deliver policies polling shows popular with the public and potential voters and making that the heart of the foundations of the manifesto before sounding an irrelevant opposition that are mere bystanders. Some see his decisions whimsical, cowardly and down right fickle. Unsurprising when the party under Corbyn was split on its mandate and who the Labour Party represents under Corbyn they didn’t know whether the party was an international interdependence pro EU party or a party with a mandate to leave the European Union and having eurosceptic values and fudged the policy leaving neither a remain supporting voter or a leave voter unsure what the party stood for and looking undemocratic and at odds with those who voted to leave and out of touch with the concerns of working class voters at a time when the leader Corbyn lectured what he thought what was the bests interests of the people and that they had been lied to and projected myths thus making the party seem out of touch and not engaging or listening to the those who for decades voted labour. There was an issue in not addressing concerns of voter or having an open and honest conversation with voters on the matter Corbyn’s team wasn’t willing to do that holding discontent for anyone who didn’t agree with what he did seeing much of the establishment and capitalism as a sin. Though to a different extent Gordon Brown showed he was unable to do that after accidentally uttered while a microphone was left on one voter was a bigot this showed an issue with the parties communication for a decade regardless what you may think of Blair he was a strong communicator. He was often too polished but that never seemed a bad thing if he could win three consecutive elections he was the master of communication in the ways that anyone who’s came after him has lacked to be a prime minister in waiting you need to listen to the voter learn from them and teach on policy always seem willing to build bridges from people who think beyond how you do treat them with the most respect and learn the art of persuasion. After all you must build confidence to win with those you want to vote for you that’s the art of power need to not patronise belittle or insult the way David Lammy though would have every right to be outraged with bigoted callers on his LBC show with much kindness and mild manner is able to teach what it means to be English, what it means to be British, what it means to be a patriot who embraces a diverse nation to construct an anti racist inclusive progressive nation maybe that is labours future.

Starmer doesn’t seem to represent the future of the party if he’s more focused on gaining political capital without vision or charisma seems to present a pause in the parties path to power. When the time comes for the next election question is will Starmer be leading the party forward if so who with?

Elected at the beginning of a national lockdown that we we’re all alien to is a challenge for anyone, let alone the person who’s role it is to tell the government where it’s going wrong. Of course then it’s hard to know how to oppose especially when you want to rebuild your party and galvanise those who got you there behind your leadership. Shifted the Corbynites though served in Corbyn’s cabinet. No differences from Corbyn’s policy because there’s no policy (or little of it). Some say he’s going to be tough on crime and policing he’s critiqued Black Lives Matter protests and as a lawyer and leader sided with police. He stood on a platform to tackle inequality and climate change though loosing support by those who deemed ‘woke’. Is he corbynite? He said he’s not and is a leader under new management? Is he Blairite he says he’s a socialist but want to work with those from the ‘New Labour’ days?

There’s still time he set out promises. Still what is Starmerism and where is labour going?