"Decency vs Division" is this week's rallying call for Starmer, with a range of associated wok-ish sub-slogans. It's suggested by some that he, Reeves and Phillipson are running snide little side-campaigns against Andy Burnham and Lucy Powell: but who is the primary enemy in Starmer's sights?
The obvious, face-value answer is N. Farage: but I don't think so. IMHO, this whole Party Conference turn is aimed squarely at targets on the Left, in the two menacing shapes of Zack Polansky and the Corbyn / Sultana rabble. Starmer's first aim now must be to persuade what remains of the left-ish, green-ish sector of the Labour movement that he's sufficiently, demonstratively anti-Farage for them to reckon staying with Labour is the safest option, rather than futile fragmentation into the ranks of the splitters. A bit like the French are always doing to fend off Marine Le Pen.
Will any of his target audience be persuaded? It's not clear to me that many will, once the Conference euphoria is over. He'll be permitting new offshore drilling applications soon; those new runways displease a lot of folk; and it'll be quite hard to row back on his anti-small-boaters rhetoric. Etc Etc. OK, Reeves may shortly find a bit of (our) dosh for the two-child benefit cap thing, plus fuel discounts for a couple million more welfare recipients: but he still won't be delivering Gaza from its fate, or doing anything that would seriously piss off Trump.
We'll see.
Incidentally, what's the betting that initially, someone on the speechwriting team actually suggested "Diversity vs Division"? Before being slapped down, and probably shown the door ...
ND
12 comments:
Given his banging on about "our flag" may we assume that the Labour Conference will spurn tradition and refrain from singing We'll KeepThe Red Flag Flying Here?
Further, would someone like to tell us how many of "our" Palestinian flags have been flying at the Labour conference?
Burnham has made his play, let's see if it pans out.
Given the polls of if Burnham was in charge, I imagine the odds are good - he just needs a seat - and I expect it to all go horribly wrong if he does become leader and PM.
I'm expecting a by-election in Greater Manchester next July, after a set of horrendous May results, with Burnham squeaking in and him to be in place before the next conference.
And then he - and we - can discover if he's any good or not. My money is on "not."
If any Starmerites are reading, there's a story on Burnham from when he was Health Secretary that could be elevated from molehill to mountain...
Well, Conference has been a huge success. For Reform. By insulting half the country, Starmer has gone into "deplorable" mode; nonsense, followed by lies, on repeat. Extraordinary.
Anyway, the reason so many illegal immigrants end up in the UK is "climate change". Yeah. Sure.
@Elby "the reason so many illegal immigrants end up in the UK is "climate change" - what the Cornish call "blow-ins"?
No red hand Ulster flag was NI secretary there but Welsh dragon was there.
Surprised Miliband did not wave windmill or Chinese solar panel
Surprised that Starmer saw sparkies rewiring ship - did they get it wrong first time .
Hope Starmer's dad knew that cast iron was brittle and failed under stress and did not make cold chisels from it. Hope support not as brittle
See that some commentators are now asking will Starmer learn from Biden and know when to pull out.
See that there was on person recognised as being effective as PM was at Cobra - up from Manchester !!!
"Sackerson said...
@Elby "the reason so many illegal immigrants end up in the UK is "climate change" - what the Cornish call "blow-ins"?"
"emmets" in fact, Sackerson! (Big family Cornish connections, and I have holidayed there God knows how many times) I know down in West Cork, "blow-ins" was the term (Irish cousin lived near Skibbereen for a long time), and in our village, it's "DFLs". Down From Londoners" and generally held in contempt as they swan around the village as if they owned it (in fact, our neighbour, Raymond Asquith, The Earl of Oxford and Asquith {there was already an Earl of Oxford) owns the village. We call it Neo-Feudalism and love it - as it means that the hideous carbuncles of jerry build estates now attach at both ends of all Somerset villages DON'T happen here!). Where was I? Oh yes - DLFs - swan around and contribute nothing whatsoever). And let their dogs shit everywhere...
"Starmer vs ... Whom?" Versus decency. For God's sake he didn't sack Lammy for saying that Farage had been in the Hitler Youth. He didn't sack himself for saying that his opponents are racists. He is an effing disgrace.
Do his and his lackeys outpourings of hatred give rise to an atmosphere of approval of political violence? Dunno. They are hardly likely to quieten it down.
His reduction in protection for Farage is presumably a case of:
Thou shalt not kill
But need not strive
Officiously to keep alive.
You tend to get "when side A does X, all good, when side B does it, not good."
The Free Palestinian marchers get a pass when a minority profess anti-semitic views, or blame the Jews as a whole for the actions of Israel.
Marchers for dealing with the impact of immigration get no such pass, a minority profess racists views there, and well, it's a far right march.
Many of the same people who rightly condemned the blaming of all Muslims for 9/11 or 7/7 find their feet rather more claylike when it comes to the blaming of all Jews.
I do find it working both ways at times though, many of the people who are outraged over the prospect of a Caliphate I find are also quite comfy with a reformed Judea.
Just seen on an American blog: "In Little v. Hecox the transgender athlete at the center of the case is now attempting to argue the case ... should be dismissed."
For some reason this made me think of the Starmerites.
We are currently seeing "there was a terror attack because of Palestine, therefore we must ban pro-Palestine demos". But the demos are more "against dropping bombs and missiles on starving people" IMHO.
Post a Comment