It's a den of vipers

MOST socialists are understandably very angry today at the decision yesterday to withhold the whip from Jeremy Corbyn, despite a lot of us not wanting him to return to the vipers’ den which is now the Labour Party. Of course, when I say most socialists, this doesn’t seem to include socialist MPs who may have tweeted in support of the reinstatement of the whip but who have otherwise done nothing.

If they had the principles many of us thought they had they would have resigned. It really is that simple. We saw a few years ago when ChangeUK (forgive me for laughing when I think about them) was set up that there is apparently no need for by-elections if you change parties. And, more recently, by the dreadful decision by Starmer to admit Christian Wakeford into the Party. What are they afraid of? Surely Labour no longer represents what they say they represent.

And as far as the man himself, it’s not as if Jeremy Corbyn would not be standing on the platform he has always stood on, and his constituents keep voting for him, so he should just stay out of Labour. Unlike some I don’t think he should lead a new Party, the man has done enough for god’s sake. But he could join one, be a beacon for the politically homeless, or stand as an Independent.

He has been an MP since 1983, while Starmer has been one for six years, yet it is the latter who is so envious of the former leader that he will not allow him back into the Party despite there never having been a good reason to withdraw the whip. But yeah, let’s have a Tory who’s only been an MP since 2019 and holds views which any decent Labour member should oppose, cross the floor and be welcomed. It’s a disgrace!

And the unions! Shameful that GMB, Usdaw and Unison voted against the reinstatement. Absolutely shameful! If you’re a member of one of these, and a socialist, you need to make a change to Unite. And Unite should disaffiliate. I don’t think its members want their money going into Labour’s depleted coffers.

But Labour. It’s dead. And if the Party had any money left they could probably arrange a funeral.

What has been overlooked by a good many people in yesterday’s news is that the motion to scrap the retroactive application of the rule proscribing certain organisations was also defeated. So if you belonged to an organisation years ago which Stalin Starmer has now proscribed you should have had the damn foresight to know that in the future you would be kicked out of the Labour Party.

I’m sorry – no, I’m not really – but anyone remaining as a member or a so-called socialist MP in this current incarnation of the Labour Party does not deserve any further respect or support.