British Politics: a change is gonna come
Labour’s consistent poll lead over the Tories suggests that a change is going to come in British politics at the top.
Fortunately thanks in considerable part to the activities of Stand Up to Racism and Unite Against Fascism, the change won’t be to the far right, as it already is in Italy and may in future be in France.
The Guardian that was certainly not keen on change in 2019 (although it backed Labour) is pondering if Starmer’s Labour can bring the change required.
Jonathan Freedland quoted a senior Labour figure (25.2) as saying that people’s belief that even modest change is possible is at ‘rock bottom’. While Keir Starmer’s five national missions are broadly worthy enough, I suspect the thought many have is not that change can’t come but that Labour won’t bring it. That surely is why so many people are taking things into their own hands and striking for better wages and conditions.
Nesrine Malik (27.2) made similar points underlining that what Starmer proposes is not sufficient to meet the challenge of the Tories broken Britain.
In the Times David Aaronovitch just wants the Tories to go now although when the chance to achieve this was offered in 2019 he spurned it. Meanwhile Ed Balls, surely a better dancer and cook then he is a politician has argued that Starmer needs to be a lot more specific about what changes he plans.
Paul Nowak, TUC General Secretary, commenting on the 80% vote by public sector members of the professionals union Prospect, said ‘still they come’. The key to the future lies in workplaces and communities more than Starmer’s focus groups and Peter Mandelson’s 1997 Playbook
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