Appeasing the far right, austerity, poor politics, inability to sell policies - Labour's present troubles

Here's is a link to an interesting YouTube video (which I suggest you look at before reading this blog piece) if, like me, you do politics and are pondering Labour's troubles after only weeks in government.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWKUdFLNCl4

Starmer, to me, is not good at politics a point once more or less made by his deputy who said something like he's the least political person I know, or words to that effect. Yes, the hand he's been dealt is a very difficult one but my feeling is that he's not good at defining a direction of travel or indeed selling it to voters.

His politics seem right of centre so you'd think our right-wing media would take to him yet they don't as they want the further or far right to be running the show. On that basis Labour's attempts, over many years, to appease the right seem to have failed on pretty much every level, as indeed they were always likely to.

Being a predominately a party of the working-class means Labour has always been hampered by having to be a party that covers the far right to the far left and everything in-between. An impossible task, of course, but one they've stuck with over generations. However, they came unstuck when many of their right-wing members and supporters backed Brexit and then Boris Johnson. Many of those are now supporters of Reform and they're not coming back to Labour soon or even ever. But Labour wants them back in their broad church because that's where they think these working-class right-wingers belong.

Labours problem over the past 10 years has been one of trying hard to keep or attract back the working-class right-wingers whilst ignoring their progressive voters, in effect taking them for granted. Getting only a low 30's percentage of votes in the last election (although with a ridiculously large majority of seats) is now a problem as they won because voters wanted the Tories out at all costs. The patience of those voters, many of whom will have been progressives, is wearing thin already not least because Labour has refused to address child poverty (2 child benefit cap) and has attacked state pensioners by taking away the winter fuel allowance.

The big error of judgement seems to have been not to deal with the need to increase some taxes, especially on the wealthy and hugely profitable energy companies first, before even thinking of more austerity measures. You have to bear in mind Labour has consistently opposed austerity measures since 2010 only to bring in more of their own as soon as they get the keys for No.10. Yes, OK, Gordon Brown actually brought in the first austerity measures in response to the 2007 financial crash and of course Labour pledged to make £1b more in cuts in the 2010-2015 Parliament than the disliked Coalition government actually made. But Labour gained the moral high ground by looking to be opposed to virtually all austerity measures and now that has come back to bite them as they’re making more austerity cuts!

So poor politics and adopting political stances only to do the opposite; reminds us all of Nick Clegg and Tuition Fees does it not! Team that with losing members and supporters to the far right and trying to appease the right-wing and it’s no wonder Labour is in a mess.

But I would say all that as a progressive, wouldn't I? It really is is up to the right of centre voters to embrace Labour unless they want the further right Tories back or even the madness of the far right of course.

We progressives are now left with backing the left of centre Lib Dems or further left Greens.