Labour Has Abandoned Its Traditions

James Melville

September 6, 2024

As someone who has been a lifelong old school liberal and left of centre, it’s pretty obvious that Keir Starmer and the Labour government are not these things. Instead, they are authoritarian, mendacious and use sanctimonious fake virtue to try and mask some pretty appalling policies even within their first 3 months of being in government.

The winter fuel allowance is a huge symbol of this. No previous Labour government would have ever have considered punishing pensioners in such a manner.

So while Starmer repeatedly wangs on about “fixing the foundations” of the economy and a £22bn black hole (which he knew about before the election - as stated by him even in May 2024), how is it economically fair and indeed morally justifiable to cut £1.6bn by abolishing the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners, yet spaff £11.6bn on overseas climate change or give over £220m to consultants at KPMG to train civil servants?

But it’s not just the winter fuel allowance. This Labour government has already shown itself to be completely devoid of vision and empathy towards the mood of the British people. The country is rotting (largely due to the 14 years of appalling neglect and nefarious policies from the previous Tory government).

The new government had a chance to create a national conversation with the people and really listen and act accordingly to their many valid concerns. Tragically, they haven't. Instead, they have indulged in the politics of punishment, austerity and misery, communicated by a po-faced Prime Minister who comes across as a modern day equivalent to the pompous, authoritarian Malvolio from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

The Labour government is already drowning in a backdated hypocrisy of broken promises and bare-faced duplicity combined with an angry divide-and-rule self-righteousness that only loses friends and alienates voters. And that’s why they are plummeting in the approval polls.

Already the public see through them. Labour has tragically abandoned its 'for the working people traditions'. The Labour Party in name has become an oxymoron. It is no longer committed to its original mission of improving living conditions and the opportunities of working people in Britain, standing against greedy corporations and the military-industrial complex, whilst protecting freedom of speech. Instead, it is the exact opposite - it’s in thrall to greedy corporatism.

The over inflated payments to net zero based (largely overseas) corporations is a prime example of this. Labour - led by Starmer - has also become heavily influenced by minority view woke ideology. Even Tony Blair (of whom I am no fan) has previously expressed his concern over this.

The government also appears to have already pivoted away from genuinely tackling illegal immigration. Fair minded and well thought through policies have to be developed here - communities across the country are calling out for this (and no, that does not make them xenophobic or racist - just understandably concerned). But the government have yet to replace their rhetoric with hard headed solutions on this issue.

To bookend where I began this, as I often say, I haven’t left the left, but sadly this Labour government have left me. They aren’t anywhere near the values of the liberal left that used to serve Labour and their core voters well. And therein lies the tragedy of the Labour government under Starmer.

© James Melville 2024

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