New Party on the Left

[Eric Cartman]

Re: New Party on the Left

Hopefully, when/if the party is launched it will not be all about a central personality and organisational clash. It has to be something else than a Corbyn and/or Sultana support group. No egos.

That feels delusional to me, people don't go into politics to be a vessel transmitting the majority membership view into law, they have opinions and they are fight for them and then they fall out.

Aside from that, it just doesn't work anyway, the average person is not aware of all the moving pieces that a government has to have sight of, they have strong opinions about single issues developed in a vacuum. I am not saying that isn't sometimes used as an excuse ('we can't do X because of Y') but if their platform is based on consensus, your party is just going to end up with a bunch of policies that sound nice but when put together are doomed to fail.

[jon1959]

Re: New Party on the Left

I get the sentiment, but I think if Reform win the next election you are going to find out how far from accurate that actually is.

Labour is not Reform. I agree.

But Starmer and his government are using the language of Reform, their symbolism, and even adopting number of their policy positions. It is sad, pathetic and doomed to fail.

Why vote for a pale imitation if you can vote for the real thing?

Why reject the politics of Reform when the Labour Party in government is amplifying them every day!

[the other bob wilson]

Re: New Party on the Left

Labour is not Reform. I agree.

But Starmer and his government are using the language of Reform, their symbolism, and even adopting number of their policy positions. It is sad, pathetic and doomed to fail.

Why vote for a pale imitation if you can vote for the real thing?

Why reject the politics of Reform when the Labour Party in government is amplifying them every day!

Starmer’s ’island of strangers” comment was pathetic and his subsequent defence that he was unaware of its implications even more pathetic.

Besides being monumentally disappointed by this Government, it also baffles me as it spends all of its time chasing the votes of people who largely did not vote for them last year and are unlikely ever to again. Labour’s current leader and the people he surrounds himself with are not left wing, they don’t stand for anything except for the acquisition and retention of power at all costs and they’ve spent the last year and a bit proving that they’re absolutely hopeless at the second bit.

[jon1959]

Re: New Party on the Left

That feels delusional to me, people don't go into politics to be a vessel transmitting the majority membership view into law, they have opinions and they are fight for them and then they fall out.

Aside from that, it just doesn't work anyway, the average person is not aware of all the moving pieces that a government has to have sight of, they have strong opinions about single issues developed in a vacuum. I am not saying that isn't sometimes used as an excuse ('we can't do X because of Y') but if their platform is based on consensus, your party is just going to end up with a bunch of policies that sound nice but when put together are doomed to fail.

Not wanting a clash of egos at the top of a new party is delusional? OK.

But you are right that the new party (if it ever happens) cannot adopt a platform that is just made up of the points of agreement amongst the (for now) leading figures.

There would probably be a common position on tax, public ownership and public services, Gaza, aid, internationalism, opposing austerity and poverty. But there are major differences around social policies and I expect ‘trans rights’ to be the place where that kicks off.

That said there is more chance of ‘a new kind of politics’ as Corbyn promised when he became Labour leader - which ended up as ‘policies not personalities’ and him asking questions from the public at PMQs. This is his chance to make it a reality.

[JamesWales]

Re: New Party on the Left

Labour is not Reform. I agree.

But Starmer and his government are using the language of Reform, their symbolism, and even adopting number of their policy positions. It is sad, pathetic and doomed to fail.

Why vote for a pale imitation if you can vote for the real thing?

Why reject the politics of Reform when the Labour Party in government is amplifying them every day!

Does no part of you think that Labour may be saying similar things because that's whats needed? Ie, now they are in government they are realizing the reality of the level of immigration etc is wholly unsustainable?

[Coyote]

Re: New Party on the Left

Does no part of you think that Labour may be saying similar things because that's whats needed? Ie, now they are in government they are realizing the reality of the level of immigration etc is wholly unsustainable?

Starmer, since before he became party leader, has cheerleaded the ambitions of neoliberal hyper-capitalism that has fractured communities and cut essential public investment for the interests of the rich, powerful and often unpleasant. Reform are a product of the same system, it's a false illusion of choice between the two, but Reform's economic policy would be a death blow to Britain's public services and the erosion of anything but cold, austere, empty-headed nationalism and avarice.

If you want to live in a Darwinian world, by all means go out to rural India and try to live with the Bengal tigers and saltwater crocodiles. Don't drag the rest of society along with you.

[jon1959]

Re: New Party on the Left

Does no part of you think that Labour may be saying similar things because that's whats needed? Ie, now they are in government they are realizing the reality of the level of immigration etc is wholly unsustainable?

No - they are saying it because they are terrified of Reform and prefer to mimic them than fight them.

[Dorcus]

Re: New Party on the Left

No - they are saying it because they are terrified of Reform and prefer to mimic them than fight them.

Farage has managed to get turkeys voting for Christmas. Although he is a charlatan he has a special gift (similar to his buddy Donald) to lead hapless lemmings to their doom.

They may well win in Wales but I still believe they'll lose the national election in 3 years time. In fact when people see them in power and reality drops like I think it's even more likely they won't gain power in Westminster.

I could never vote for them but it's dawned on me that to give them a chance to rule might be the best way to consign them to history.

[JamesWales]

Re: New Party on the Left

No - they are saying it because they are terrified of Reform and prefer to mimic them than fight them.

How would you fight them on this topic? That immigration of 750,000 a year is good and sustainable? That may play out in the poshest most liberal parts of the country (sadly one and the same now) but it won't work nation wide.

[jon1959]

Re: New Party on the Left

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/21/historic-opportunity-british-left-thrown-away-your-party-row

[Eric Cartman]

Re: New Party on the Left

Not wanting a clash of egos at the top of a new party is delusional? OK.

But you are right that the new party (if it ever happens) cannot adopt a platform that is just made up of the points of agreement amongst the (for now) leading figures.

There would probably be a common position on tax, public ownership and public services, Gaza, aid, internationalism, opposing austerity and poverty. But there are major differences around social policies and I expect ‘trans rights’ to be the place where that kicks off.

That said there is more chance of ‘a new kind of politics’ as Corbyn promised when he became Labour leader - which ended up as ‘policies not personalities’ and him asking questions from the public at PMQs. This is his chance to make it a reality.

Yeah i think it is, as i said politicians go into politics to make the change that they feel strongly about. Inevitably there is going to come a point where someone who feels strongly gets outvoted by the membership or by other prominent folk, what do they do at that point? Ditch the view they have held for years, use the tools at their disposal to change the direction of the party or breakaway again. I mean i cant think of a good example of a successful political party avoiding egos clashing, you could possible cite the lib dems right now but when your job is just to say stuff that feels right, life is simple, their last stint with power during the coalition showed how quickly it can get messy.

The issue with having a manifesto by consensus is a) the above and b) we would find the party adopt positions that are completely incompatible with each other just be because they feel right. For example if you think the governments main priority should be reducing the ratio of fixed monthly costs to salary and one of your main chosen solutions is to build more homes, you cant ignore immigration, whether its high paid or low paid. If you are running a party and the memberships wants cheaper housing and wants to maintain migration, you have a far larger problem to solve.

[Elwood Blues]

Re: New Party on the Left

I see you can now join the Yourparty again.

Not surprisingly I won't be joining.

But it is at Your party.uk for anyone interested.

[Elwood Blues]

Re: New Party on the Left

I see you can now join the Yourparty again.

Not surprisingly I won't be joining.

But it is at Your party.uk for anyone interested.

[Dorcus]

Re: New Party on the Left

I see you can now join the Yourparty again.

Not surprisingly I won't be joining.

But it is at Your party.uk for anyone interested.

Oh that's devastating Elwood, I was counting on you to join. I thought it would be fun if we went along to party meetings together! Nevertheless, I know we can count on your support from behind the scenes.

[jon1959]

Re: New Party on the Left

https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/09/25/zarah-sultana-sheffield/?__s=hheshtdmarsdn8syijsb