The reported reality that some UK Labour activists are in the US helping the campaign of Kamala Harris in the final period before the poll, should not be news. Labour has over many elections helped and advised Democratic campaigns. Bill Clinton made an appearance at a Labour Conference as a ‘CLP delegate’.
The fact that it is news is a news story in itself but not what this post is about.
Of course Farage has also been helping the Trump campaign but other Reform UK Ltd activists probably havent, not least because Trump has quite enough Whackos and Weirdoes helping at it is.
One instance of the Labour tradition is the occasion when Tony Benn spoke at a Democratic Socialist Organising event titled ‘Eurosocialism and America’. B in Washington in early December 1980. It was just after George H Bush had beaten Walter Mondale in that year’s Presidential Election.
Also speaking at the event were Willy Brandt and Francois Mitterand.
The DSO was a socialist organisation associated particularly with Michael Harrington that worked with and around the Democrats from 1973-1982 when it merged with another organisation.
As Benn noted in his Diary the event appeared to get no publicity in the US and probably not much in the UK. It was just seen as politics are usual and normal. Benn describes the event in his diary as ‘significant’
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