There seems to be a general consensus that Labour will win the election and Conservatives will be wiped out, the only point is the size of the widely anticipated landslide. As I see it, Sunak is trying to lose the election while Starmer is trying not to win – proposals like the reintroduction of national service won’t appeal to younger voters, but by parachuting NEC members into safe Labour seats Starmer might find that that they’re not as safe as he thought. It doesn’t pay to take voters for granted!

I don’t think it’s a forgone conclusion that Starmer will be our next PM, he’ll do well to retain his seat with Andrew Feinstein campaigning against him. A lot’s resting on the votes of constituents in Holborn and St Pancras, I hope they won’t let us down. There’s not much we can do to influence the vote, although I’ve made a donation (gratefully acknowledged) towards Andrew’s campaign fund.

The Conservative Party are losing MPs left, right and centre – some have defected to Labour or Reform, others won’t be standing in the General Election. Starmer wants to capitalise on this by courting the traditional Tory vote while hanging the Labour base out to dry – he’s not interested in supporting collective bargaining for better pay and if you’re not “economically active” he doesn’t want to know!

Even if Starmer becomes our next PM he’s damaged the Labour Party so badly that it’s doubtful if he’ld survive a single term. The party’s over, although a few ‘socialists’ are waiting to swept out with the cigarette butts. Those who live in hope of restoring socialism within the Labour Party are pushing shit uphill, but it’s offered to us as the only alternative. I can’t think of a suitable analogy for such nonsense!

Peter Oborne issued a warning that the collapse of the Tory Party could result in something far worse

UK elections 2024: Tory Britain is about to fall. But what follows could be far worse https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/uk-elections-2024-tory-britain-fall-follows-far-worse

One of my followers, who evidently hadn’t read Oborne’s article, thought it was an attempt to frighten us into voting for a continuance of the duopoly. That’s how I read Ian Dunt’s article:

Hidden in the manifesto: Labour’s war against populism https://open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/p/hidden-in-the-manifesto-labours-war?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

It’s evidently Paul Mason’s intention in this article – which I confess to not having read properly, I skimmed through it but I wasn’t entirely uninformed of his views.

The left has a choice: unite behind Starmer or face Farage rising to power https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/keir-starmer-left-wing-case-paul-mason-labour-party-general-election/?_kx=i9Kw7CSdYvzYBQejdxvn4HQ4oi14bexPOeDOYeLRctkGs4V3CxMmH-P7J_jOJAIw.YjCYwm?utm_source=tw

Mason failure to be selected as Labour’s candidate for Islington North hasn’t dulled his enthusiasm for Starmer’s “Labour” Party. I was surprised to see his article published in openDemocracy who offered this justification.

Our decision to publish two diverging opinion pieces on the case for and against Keir Starmer over the past week prompted several thoughtful and passionate emails. 

Feedback from emails they received reflect my views and express disappointment that openDemocracy should give space to Mason’s half-baked opinion.

Although Oborne still describes himself as a conservative he’s way to the left of Starmer and has always supported Jeremy Corbyn and Andrew Feinstein. He’s also one of the few journalists who have consistently opposed the persecution of Julian Assange from the outset, instead of waiting to see what it impact it would have on their own ability to report them new (not much as they’re only reporting what they’re allowed to now). What he and other commentators are saying is that the prospect of a Labour supermajority has panicked some Tory MPs – Braverman and Rees-Mogg the foremost among them, into proposing an alliance with Reform. It’s not dissimilar to George Galloway’s proposal of a left alliance with Jeremy Corbyn, although both proposals have so far been rejected. Farage already has more exposure in mainstream media than any left wing politician or commentator despite failing seven times to be elected as an MP, that can only increase if he’s elected on his latest attempt. Oborne is warning us that it could shift the political debate even further right than it already is, following a trend taking place across Europe!

Mason and Dunt want us to believe that the only way to buck this trend is to vote Labour, but we don’t want a Labour supermajority anymore than the Tories do, albeit for different reasons. What they’re forgetting is that parliamentary democracy does not only mean electing a government, it also requires something that’s been dismally lacking for the last 5 years – a viable opposition! Starmer has admitted this fact by saying “We don’t want to be a party of protest but a party in power.” Mason is correct in pointing out the difficulty, under FPTP, of electing enough MPs from minor parties and independents to form a government, but we can elect enough to support PR. Yes, it might mean opening up an opportunity for far right groups, but the left are so far excluded that we’ve nothing to lose!

One worry for the left is that those who’ve traditionally voted Labour but aren’t as politically engaged as readers might, perceiving little difference between the major parties, might swing right rather than left – or not vote at all! This thread illustrates this concern:

Thread by @LouiseRawAuthor on Thread Reader App https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1802787301824553435.html

The problem for the left is not that we have too few choices but that we have too many! George Galloway is aiming for the moon but, to paraphrase Michelangelo, it may be better to aim high and fall short of your target than to aim too low and attain a goal that’s less than you’re capable of achieving. Farage is aiming high too, a surge in votes for Reform may not result in them winning a single seat but Farage is no doubt looking towards the next election and the left needs to do likewise. We need to look beyond the election and build up a mass movement.

The lines are already drawn for this year’s election and there’s little room for manoeuvring. It would be foolhardy to try to predict the outcome but there are grounds for cautious optimism. According to some polls Lib Dems are on the point of overtaking Conservatives as the second largest party. Starmer’s tendency to take voters for granted could cost him dearly, refuses to debate and is rarely seen in his own constituency. Jeremy Corbyn, by contrast, has had volunteers come in from as far away as Belfast to canvass for him and is pulling ahead in the polls. I confess to being confused over the situation in Blackburn but have been assured that Craig Murray is not standing down, despite being betrayed by the councillors who asked him to stand. Someone suggested that, to avoid splitting the left vote, he and the independent candidate should flip a coin to decide which of them should stand but apparently neither of them accepted the proposal.

I frankly see little hope of achieving socialism through parliamentary means and I’m disillusioned with our trade unions too, although I encourage people to join one as matter of principle. (Although I resigned from Unite Community as a matter of principle and haven’t found another I can join). Politics is too important to be left to politicians, democracy requires that we the people should take control – whether that be by protesting on the street or joining a community organisation such as Disabled People Against Cuts. We all need to do our best within our abilities

To put this aphorism on a personal level: I could do more to support those who cannot if have the encouragement of those who can.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do.

Helen Keller