Thoughtful and interesting piece. Like you I feel reasonably optimistic about Keir Starmer and that he's a steady hand on the tiller which is what we desperately need right now.
I did vote for Corbyn because I liked and trusted the man who'd been my local MP for so many years. The 2019 election campaign and subsequent defeat broke my loyalty and I now hope, though doubt, that he will find something else to do before the next election to save the mess that will result in Islington North should he do otherwise (not holding my breathe).
Nicely balanced as always - but in blaming the Iraq war for Blair's reduced popularity I think you miss the anti-freedom of movement groundswell which developed particularly after an influx of new accession Romanians and Bulgarians, etc. from, I think, 2005.
I think this sowed the seeds for Brexit and Corbyn's failure, to a certain extent, in 2017 was in trying to appease the remainers (with Starmer's guidance) by promising a second referendum. Lisa Nandy knew what the effect would be, she knew her constituents and the views in similar constituencies.
Starmer now is going to the other extreme and won't talk about re-entering a 'Customs Union' or something similar if by another name for fear that this will bring accusation of being a full rejoiner with freedom of movement and access to a cheap labour pool again.
On your general point - surely we've had enough of charismatic politicians for a while - there is a chance to tell the electorate that Income Tax (more fairly, more progressively applied) is the fairest tax and that investment of that tax in the Economy will benefit some more than others and their subsequently higher incomes should be taxed and reinvested again - everyone benefits more!
Oz Katerji has made a decent attempt to examine the 2015-19 period and legacy in his podcast "Corbynism: The Post-Mortem". However I've yet to read a truly critical insight of how stagnation in the party and the naive response to by Labour MPs opened the door to a crude-populism¹ that did and continues damage to the party's electoral machine and attempts by the new General Secretary David Evans to modernise it.
I’m still a party member but Corbynism has left me fairly indifferent to whether Labour succeeds or not at the next GE. There are still trust issues while the far left are around.
You know who else had a reputation for dullness? Clement Atlee. And look what he achieved.
Thoughtful and interesting piece. Like you I feel reasonably optimistic about Keir Starmer and that he's a steady hand on the tiller which is what we desperately need right now.
I did vote for Corbyn because I liked and trusted the man who'd been my local MP for so many years. The 2019 election campaign and subsequent defeat broke my loyalty and I now hope, though doubt, that he will find something else to do before the next election to save the mess that will result in Islington North should he do otherwise (not holding my breathe).
Really good read.
Thank you.
Within PR anything which Starmer might achieve will be easily reversed by an incoming Tory government
Typo Emma, in that sentence about 2017 you’re missing the word ‘upset’ (I assume) after political
Not being a smartalec just trying to be helpful
Nicely balanced as always - but in blaming the Iraq war for Blair's reduced popularity I think you miss the anti-freedom of movement groundswell which developed particularly after an influx of new accession Romanians and Bulgarians, etc. from, I think, 2005.
I think this sowed the seeds for Brexit and Corbyn's failure, to a certain extent, in 2017 was in trying to appease the remainers (with Starmer's guidance) by promising a second referendum. Lisa Nandy knew what the effect would be, she knew her constituents and the views in similar constituencies.
Starmer now is going to the other extreme and won't talk about re-entering a 'Customs Union' or something similar if by another name for fear that this will bring accusation of being a full rejoiner with freedom of movement and access to a cheap labour pool again.
On your general point - surely we've had enough of charismatic politicians for a while - there is a chance to tell the electorate that Income Tax (more fairly, more progressively applied) is the fairest tax and that investment of that tax in the Economy will benefit some more than others and their subsequently higher incomes should be taxed and reinvested again - everyone benefits more!
Oz Katerji has made a decent attempt to examine the 2015-19 period and legacy in his podcast "Corbynism: The Post-Mortem". However I've yet to read a truly critical insight of how stagnation in the party and the naive response to by Labour MPs opened the door to a crude-populism¹ that did and continues damage to the party's electoral machine and attempts by the new General Secretary David Evans to modernise it.
¹ https://medium.com/@pauliewaulie/is-representative-democracy-really-dead-c8df0c247da7
I’m still a party member but Corbynism has left me fairly indifferent to whether Labour succeeds or not at the next GE. There are still trust issues while the far left are around.