2024. Beyond Westminster a new politics from below is emerging.
The Sunday Times on 31st December devoted extensive space to a poll that had been done in late November covering English Parliamentary Constituencies on whether Mr Suit or Mr Woodentop was preferred as the next Prime Minister.
Mr Woodentop had a good deal of support but second was not Mr Suit but people who either didn’t know or didn’t care.
Of course it might just be an ‘all politicians are the same’ perspective but although the differences between Sunak and Starmer are limited they do represent different interests in society. Sunak represents various fractions and factions of business (not all UK based). Starmer represents organised labour. Of course Starmer would rather he didn’t and would very much like to be the party of business. However for reasons he either doesn’t grasp or prefers not to think about that won’t happen. There is still a class divide in society even if Starmer tries hard to be on the wrong side of it.
On that basis its certainly worth keeping a focus on Labour actually doing something positive even if only in a minor key if it wins the Election.
But the really political story of 2024 is down below in the workplaces, colleges, cafes and on the streets. A lot of this is about Gaza and the continuing murder- hundreds every day- that Israel is carrying out. About this neither Sunak or Starmer have done anything more than say its all gone a bit far but done nothing.
That has created an anger moving towards rage seen not just in London demonstrations but in hundreds of local marches, protests at arms manufacturers and companies that back Israel. Little of this is reported in official media but its all over social media.
The new politics is also focused on public services and austerity and the need to stop the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Some of it may have an electoral focus particularly as its an Election year but its about more than that. Its about challenging and changing things from below light years away from the official world of Messrs Suit and Woodentop
Nesrine Malik has a good piece in the Guardian on this today
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