This is the conference that brought us unprecedented levels of sophistry and doublethink (Rachel Reeves, we’re looking at you), a vote against a key government policy by the rank and file and, of course, Keir Starmer’s tribute to ‘1066 And All That’ - ‘for sausage read hostage’ - a slip so crass and unpleasant in the context that it surely warranted a subsequent apology rather than a quick correction and then effectively ‘move on, nothing to see here’.
(Would he have made the same kind of slip speaking of George Floyd or BLM, I wonder - “Black puddings…er, lives matter!” - and if so, would he have ignored it and continued with no apology? It beggars belief that this man actually trained - and apparently succeeded - as a barrister!)*
Anyway, things have clearly changed in the old Independent Labour Party since the days of the original Keir and his trusty cloth cap - I wonder what Hardie would have made of the designer clothes, penthouse apartments and pop concerts, or, indeed, of the fact that they came courtesy of a millionaire donor.
The rot that set in under Blair (and Cherie - millionaire-chaser extraordinaire) has clearly been spreading beneath the surface ever since and the party really ought to consider a change of name to reflect its new priorities; suggestions would be welcome.
Meanwhile, perhaps it’s time for some new words:
The People's flag is deepest red,
But now its staunchest sons are dead
And in their place a man who’s sold
His own integrity for gold.
He’s willing to evade and lie,
Accept the gifts and not ask why.
So do us all a favour, Keir,
And stop the grift and lying here.
*Alternatively, a cynic might consider the possibility of a deliberate - and largely successful - ploy to generate ridicule and divert attention away from the matter of the hostages and Labour’s policy towards Israel, even at the cost of the leader’s dignity.
Or perhaps the cynicism is on Labour’s part; it might be significant that the mid-phrase error effectively negated its value as a soundbite expressing clear support for Israel.
His sausage slip could have been a distraction ploy, but becoming the butt of numerous jokes makes it even more difficult to acquire the image of a statesman who should be listened to.
ReplyDeleteYes the rot is well advanced now. This is not the party of ordinary working people and it has no wish to be. It doesn't really hide it either, the rhetoric has become very unconvincing, but the people are unconvincing too.
A real cynic might say that making him the butt of jokes could be an ulterior motive - at least if you subscribe to the ‘autocue sabotage’ theory - Angela Rayner has been uncharacteristically quiet recently…
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