Read on Twitter
There is a section of the UK political/media class that is deeply invested in:
a) a narrative that things were "good enough" pre 2015;
b) their own positions as arbiters of what counts as good enough;
c) blaming the resurgent post 2015 left for their own historic failures.
a) a narrative that things were "good enough" pre 2015;
b) their own positions as arbiters of what counts as good enough;
c) blaming the resurgent post 2015 left for their own historic failures.
Even though they control much of the "progressive" sphere in UK politics (arguably they still controlled much of it even when Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party), our mere presence, especially on a medium like Twitter which amplifies our voice, is still anathema to them.
And as much as they try to delegitimise us by calling us "stupid", "depraved", "a mob", "nutters", "cultists" and painting us as "hav(ing) no place in civil society" the fact is that we are politically engaged, know stuff and, crucially, have been members of the Labour Party.
So we can easily point them to their records, e.g. to their support/enactment of policies that have damaged many lives, especially minority groups, and enabled much of what they complain about today. Or to the behaviour of the Labour Right which we have personal experience of.
Their electoral prospects (another thing they like to blame us for, even if the decline is historic) aren't looking great either, and that obviously deepens their resentment. The question though is, even if they do somehow manage to win power, WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH IT?
I remember once being told, after complaining about bad Labour Right behaviour, "they want to win, Angela, they want to WIN" as if this could somehow justify anything. You hear that a lot in Labour, "Labour to Win", "party of government". Win for what and at what cost?
And you can forget all that crap about "the people who need a Labour government", that ship has sailed and not only because it is patronising as fuck, it's also because it's just not credible anymore. Most of you want to win for your own egos and interests, that much is clear.
Which is fair enough, politics is ultimately the pursuit of interests. But maybe, just maybe, your interests no longer align with (if they ever did) the people you claim to represent? Just a thought.
