Many of us disagree with the hard-left as much today as we did at the start of the summer, or last September or for the past 30 years for that matter. So what should we do in the face of the re-election of a hard-left leadership in a party that sometimes feels unrecognisable? There will be exhausting days ahead as the party leadership talk of olive branches in patronising tones while their supporters brandish them at dissenting members of parliament.
For some it may be tempting to consider leaving the party. To give up trying to save something that seemingly does not want to be saved. To stop having endless arguments about the need to win elections with people who do not think it is important. To close the door on the nastiness you get for just being a non-Corbynista member of the Labour party. I would not blame anyone for wanting to just get on with their lives.
So why stay?
Others will make the arguments more eruditely than I can. Arguments that appeal to the head and the heart. Polls that show that long-term members still want a party that can appeal to the country and win a general election. To stick together in the belief that a functioning, effective Labour party is crucial to our social democracy and to leave is to commit Britain to a one-party state. We will be reminded that lists of hostile MPs are released by the party leadership, that leadership supporters openly call for deselections and party staff are criticised publicly and that the only way to combat any of this is to stay and continue to do our bit.
Respected figures across the party will appeal to our belief in the strength of our common endeavour – to stay and fight to regain a party where abuse and intimidation have no place and a party where even one incident of anti-semitism would shock us to the core.
All of those reasons are part of why I will stay and I hope others will too and encourage more to join.
But there is one more reason to stay and that is because an exodus of moderate members is exactly what the hard-left want.
The Labour party is my party and the hard-left – who call us Tories, who hate the last Labour government, who often did not vote Labour and even campaigned against us – cannot have a free reign.
A quote from Alan Bleasdale’s GBH goes something like: ‘socialism is not just the redistribution of wealth but of care and concern and belief in human kind’. That echoes the politics my father taught me. A party of aspiration and fairness, equality of opportunity, a long-term hand-up not just a short-term hand-out, that does not shirk from tough decisions and helps people live their lives and builds communities for the good of all of us. A party that wins elections by taking the country with it.
So I will stay and stand up and make the arguments for what I believe in and, for what it is worth, I implore others to do so too.
Yes for social democracy, yes because Britain needs a Labour government, yes in order to fight against deselections, yes to regain a party of decency and debate over hate and hostility. And yes because if we stay, there is hope.
But also because, if nothing else, I have never done what the hard-left want and I do not intend to start today.
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Nicola Murphy is director of Labour Tomorrow. She is writing in a personal capacity. She tweets at @murphyna
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Socialists 2 Tory-lites 0.
I don’t think anyone on the hard left is asking anyone on the hard right to change their minds. What I think is expected is for them to stop using their buddies in the press and media in undermining the leadership in public forums. The question does not therefore arise whereby anyone is asked to leave. However wearing the Labour label carries reasonable obligation to that organisation.
Here’s a strange thing. Naively I’d assumed I knew what an “olive branch” meant as a figure of speech.
That when one side in an argument offered this figurative bough to others, it signified doing or saying something to show you want to end a disagreement.
I never realised it was “patronising”. Nor that it might be seen as “brandishing” – waving a weapon.
I’ve been a Labour Party member for more than forty years and I’m not “hard” anything – except a long time ago, hard-up. I used to be on the ‘Right’ of my constituency party (Tottenham) and now I’m probably seen as ‘soft left’. Although to be honest my politics haven’t changed that much. Even if the gallop rightwards by some members of the Party may make it look that way.
Last year I voted for Andy Burnham who I met and liked and whose views gained my respect. And who incidentally has come out of the past year with increased respect. Not just from me but many Labour members I know.
Jeremy Corbyn? I’ve never met him. Though my wife has. I have the impression of an honest, clear, decent man. He won my vote by steadfastly speaking out about the issues as I see them.
MP deselection? Tottenham’s MP is David Lammy who has always had my support. In my personal experience too, he’s someone who listens when I or others disagree with him. Our sister party in Hornsey, Wood Green has the outstanding Catherine West. People wanting to remove either will find me standing shoulder to shoulder with our MPs. The same applies to Joanne McCartney our excellent GLA member.
To be honest, I don’t have the same view of our Council Leader. But that’s politics. Not everyone is on the right side. Some people have policies I can’t tell from those of the Tories.
Does any of this equate to “hate [for] the last Labour government?” Well actually no. Why should I hate the minimum wage? The building of new hospitals? – even if PFI turned out to be a mistake. It was Gordon Brown who invited Michael Marmot to write his crucial health report. Don’t we – the whole Labour Party – just need to get on with listening to Professor Marmot and making his solutions work? Just as we need to listen to people like Danny Dorling and others, and adopt policies which combat growing inequality.
It’s true that I wish Tony Blair had said: “Education, Education, Housing”. Then maybe the housing crisis and homelessness wouldn’t be quite so appalling . It’s still Labour – Corbyn or no Corbyn – which can
solve those issues. Not Theresa May. And not the property developers
As for Iraq, tens of thousands of us marched. Not just Jeremy Corbyn. And of those who left the Party – many have now returned – I’d be surprised if you don’t know very many who were simply principled socialists. Not “hard” anything.
So Nicola Murray, you and your Progress Party colleagues don’t agree with Jeremy Corbyn and the thousands who voted for him. Well maybe it’s not a bad idea – if you haven’t already done so – to find quiet settings to ask more of them why they think the way they do.
And also to ask yourself what’s really so terrifying about an olive branch?
Sincere apologies Nicola Murphy. I had a Murray on my mind.
Why?
Why should I stay and be Hated?
Why should I stay and be called a Red Tory?
Why should I stay in a party where senior members openly show intolerance and hatred of other politicians? Who openly denigrate other MP’s of their own party.
Why should I stay in a party where only the chosen few are allowed to have their “principles” but everyone else has to be an unthinking drone.
Why should I stay in a party where the “Leader” cannot lead for everyone.
Why should I stay in a party where there are a number of supporters who think it is OK to spit at supporters and members of the Tory Party.
Why should I give my support and money to an organisation that wants to cast me aside?
The simple answer is I do not.
I will cancel my direct debit and leave the party.
I am sure John and Len will cheer, they will feel proud that they have driven away a life long Labour supporter.
I am sure in their eyes I was not pure enough. I mean, why have a party unless only the pure can be members.
I would say goodbye, but what is the point. The party obviously does not care, it is too busy talking and agreeing with itself.
Nicola, glad you are staying. I hope you will now work with the majority in the party for a Labour victory. I know losing can be hard and leave a bitter taste but it is time to stop the sniping and attacks on Labour people and focus the not inconsiderable resources of progress on opposing the Tories It may not be as much fun as civil war but it will be more productive.
Being to the left of progress does not make anyone ‘hard left’. By and large it makes you just left of centre. The problem is progress is rather centre right because it seeks to develop its policies by triangulating with a very right wing Conservative Party.
So Nicola, there is plenty of room on the left for you to move into. Why you may even find it refreshing to talk to left wingers rather than accuse them of a range of nefarious activities.
You quote Alan Bleasdale and tell us what your father taught you but ignore that it is your “hard left” opponents who live up to it. The last Labour government did a lot of great things but it did not offer a hand up, it offered a hand out, that is one of the reasons they stopped being electable. Tax credits were a valiant attempt to help with the problem of low wages and benefit dependency but they did not work well enough to convince the people to keep them. So in an effort to remain “electable” the leaders of New Labour decided that it was best not to talk about low wages and tax credits, instead leaving it to the “hard left” to defend, and then insulting them for doing it. The same applies to rebuilding the NHS, schools, etc. There is little left of the last labour governments successes because the Tory/Lib Dem government dismantled it. They could easily do so because it was all built on sand. The right of the party stopped the crucial process of trying to win the ideological argument, conceding that to the right of the Tory and Liberal party’s, so rather than it being impossible to break up the NHS because it is entrenched in the fabric of society the Tories were free to implement Lansley’s wrecking bill with total impunity and even tacit support from the Labour right.
By repeatedly calling me names you are not fighting for a party of decency and debate. By repeating the “hard left” slogan when it is patently absurd to describe the majority of those who opposed Smith you are not debating you are trying to smear your opponents.
I would happily argue the nonsense of equality of opportunity as a concept with you. I would also argue with you the case for socialist over social democracy and whether the Labour Party can exist without both. I would also argue that a party that wishes to offer a long term hand up rather than a hand out can only do so by changing the structures of the economy and that post hoc redistribution can never be anything more than a hand out, with you. I would also happily argue that every shred of available evidence shows that the Labour Party stopped taking the people with it in the early 2000’s and that it was not Iraq that caused it with you. But, I can’t. I can’t because you only want to keep convincing yourself that I am “hard left” and that repeatedly losing elections and share of the vote is proof that you have the keys to power.
This web site is stopping being the voice of an ideology and political approach and has become a trolling shoutfest that would be written in green ink if it were sent to a newspaper. What is worse is that it’s contributors and PLP acolytes cannot see that it is ignoring the basic reason it exists ie to win elections. Surely the basic lessons of winning elections is to understand and not insult your voters. The tribal take over of the Progress party appears to be won.