Thursday 5 November 2020

Return To Lockdown 4: Lockdown Returned

Let us break bread while we continue to tolerate the petulant tantrum masquerading as democracy in America. A storm with far more reach than it deserves. While President baby spits out his dummy; while a rich old white guy threatens him with accusation of 'malarkey', we have to sit and endure this nonsense.

Is there any point staying in the Labour party? In a zoom meeting the other night, discussing the Corbyn conundrum presented by Starmer, a couple of party members were adamant that the right thing to do was stay. Their dedication is admirable; they resolved to fight for their party. But this, unfortunately, is naive; it isn't their party. It never was. That, I'm afraid, is a reality that can only be experienced. Their denial cannot be pointed out to them, they will just have to go on the journey by themselves.  No one can persuade them they are banging their head against a brick wall; only the pain of doing so will be an adequate teacher. That isn't intended to be arrogant; it's just the nature of the situation. Sometimes people can't be shown what they need to learn, they have to experience it directly. Realisation that the Labour party isn't their party is experiential.

The recent suspension of Corbyn will not yield a positive result. Corbyn himself is died in the wool labour. He will not form a new party. More likely he'd stand independently, probably after being forced into that position. He's treading the same path as Ken 'Red Ken' Livingstone. Though while the latter has over time descended into absurdity and become a parody of the left, Corbyn has been largely placed in this situation. He will not change, and neither will Labour. 

The only way this can go is further sanction, perhaps an endless cycle until the party just gets sick of him and boots him out. A likely outcome for the simple reason that Starmer isn't out to win over socialists; he's out to impress capitalists. Therefore any talk of socialism, any association with such, particularly when perceived as manifesting as being antisemitic, will be met with aversion such that it must be expelled. He's white washing the party. 

We've seen how the Tories have now placed themselves into an impossible position through their non-response to Covid. By refusing to censure Cummings (never mind associating with such a creepy weirdo to begin with), and by doing all the things they've publicly criticised Labour for doing, they are left without a leg to stand on. Rightly, Starmer wants to capitalise on this. Unfortunately as he's also looking to win over big business, corporate media, and the ruling class, the Labour party is now super-averse to anything with a tinge or touch of socialism. There is no future for you if you pursue a socialist agenda in the Labour party. Your ideas will gain no traction and fall on fallow ground. At best, Labour will publicly distance from such ideas, and, inevitably, such people. It happened to Rebecca Long Bailey after all, and, by staying in the party, these people are agreeing to their own emasculation. Willingly neutering themselves ideologically. 

You can't have it both ways.

In other news, no new president as yet. The greatest democracy in the world, yeah right.

Lockdown 2 begins today. Though all the local shops seem to be open. The post office, which completely shut before. The local cafes are now serving takeout. That does seem a little cheeky, but I can't blame them. I don't think they are run by miscreants. But who knows. This is going to be a different kind of struggle. People are going to try and keep things open as much as possible, but is that a good idea?

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