It is well known that one cannot choose one’s family. You can make enemies. The British saw themselves ahead of their party conference this week Labour Party – which always saw itself as a big family, to which the trade unions also belong – before an ordeal. The centrifugal forces of the various camps are draining the party and robbing it of its strength in the urgent social disputes about the future of the welfare state and the conversion to a climate-neutral economy. In the seaside resort of Brighton, during the long-awaited party congress after the pandemic, another storm broke through the delegates, in the roar of which the most important message of the meeting threatened to be drowned: Labor wants to repair the damage to Brexit. Make Brexit successful – that is the new vision.
At the beginning of September the long-awaited turnaround was in sight. Just in time for the middle of the electoral term, Labor – “Her Majesty’s Opposition” – overtook the ruling Conservative Tories in the favor of the electorate. Boris Johnson’s Conservatives fell below the 40 percent mark for the first time and Labor rose. So the party still has a potential that rightly gives them hope of being able to form the next government. With her new chairman Keir Starmer, who is classified as a pragmatist of the center-right camp, she seemed to have overcome the leadership crisis that culminated in a party expulsion process against former socialist party leader Jeremy Corbyn. In terms of programming, however, there had been no change since then.
Labor wants to fix the Brexit damage again.
British majority voting knows only one winner. It makes the Workers’ Party a reservoir for members who line up from very far left to very far right in the political spectrum. the Labour Party in this way welds “family members” together for better or for worse, who otherwise would have separated long ago. In the shaken structure of the British party system, this could be her undoing if she does not manage to break down internal contradictions between the leaders and the program. Starmer had recognized this and called the party together on the coast to clarify.
Despite the prescribed cure in Brighton, Labor remained trapped in ideological clashes, anti-Semitism discussions and identity-political disputes. Congress suffered from the aftermath of the Corbyn elimination process. Leading minds stumbled upon their statements about trans people and the general secretary faced severe attacks for reforms at the party headquarters. Literally at the last minute, Starmer pushed through a highly controversial amendment to the party statutes, which is intended to strengthen the parliamentary group and prevent the election of a party leader like Jeremy Corbyn in the future. Candidates now require the vote of at least 20% of the elected Labor MPs. Starmer’s wing seemed to finally take hold. Even the last Corbynist in the shadow cabinet, Andy McDonald, threw in the towel in a media-effective manner. Other prominent “family members” such as Sharon Graham, the new leader of the Unite union, preferred not to show up in the face of the disputes. The Jewish MP Louise Ellmann, the Labour left in protest, however, rejoined the party. The link between Starmer and the party left, for which Corbyn stood, appears to have been severed for good. In a tent camp in front of the congress area, she celebrated her own festival and at least worked with herself – outsourced, at the cat table.
The link between Starmer and the party left, for which Corbyn stood, appears to have been severed for good.
Given the “family row” that drew everyone’s attention, the press barely reported on the 35-page paper that Keir Starmer had written in preparation for the party congress. It should Labour Navigate through more storms until the next general election. In “The Road Ahead“Describes Starmer” the way forward “: his vision one Labour Partyready to take over government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Tories have enough open flanks to attack. The effects of Brexit and the pandemic are dramatic. Low-income families fear a winter without heating, but with reduced social benefits. Systemically important employees cannot get to work due to a lack of petrol. 5.5 million people are waiting for a doctor’s appointment at the doors of the national health service NHS. In view of the now threatening Brexit misery, Johnson has no time for the most urgent topic of the present, climate change, and the upcoming UN climate conference COP 26.
The trade unions, the most important “relatives” of the Labour Party, had – also with regard to the COP 26 in Glasgow – done their homework on time for the party congress and submitted a catalog of demands to the Johnson government. At the beginning of the congress everyone waited eagerly for the policy proposals of the Labour– Leadership: How does the party want to shape the socio-ecological transformation? How to deal with the consequences of Brexit? How can the growing inequality be fought sustainably? But instead of giving answers, the discussion resulted in renewed arguments.
Labor has found its own compass: “Make Brexit work!“Is the motto.
The shadow economy minister, Ed Miliband, was convincing Green Britainonly to be whistled back by Starmer with a view to his proposal to nationalize the energy suppliers. Surprisingly openly, shadow finance minister Rachel Reeves contradicted the party leader on the question of the possible resumption of labor migration. While Starmer wants to trump Boris Johnson’s proposal to issue special visas to 5,000 EU truck drivers, Reeves called for the establishment of an independent commission to decide on the number of work permits regardless of the sector. Other members of the Starmer team such as Angela Rayner and Andy McDonald eventually fell out over the exact amount of the minimum wage. Like a fetish, McDonald was carrying £ 15 an hour wages, although it quickly became clear that this could only be an excuse for his imminent resignation. The newspaper kiosks on Brighton Beach shouted “Labor before the Civil War” for days – no headline signaled readiness for government.
At the end of the congress, Starmer managed to turn the tide with his conciliatory and in some cases very personal closing speech. He sketched the eagerly awaited new programmatic line. To thunderous applause, he explained his Green New Deal, comprehensive training initiatives, investing in the public sector and improving access to post-pandemic psychotherapy. Labor is the only party that can get a grip on the crisis after leaving the EU. May the Tories with their old battle cries of “Get Brexit done!” and “Get back control!“Move into the next election campaign. Labor has found its own compass: “Make Brexit work!“Is the motto. It should hold the “family” together and lead them through the next weather front. When the party conference was over, a satisfied-looking Keir Starmer was seen walking on Brighton Beach.
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