Stagnant Starmer’s Unprincipled Opposition Is Failing Us All

“Vote Labour at the local elections to protect the NHS”, said Keir Starmer. 

Just think about that for a moment. 

Either Starmer is so utterly disingenuous he has managed to convince himself of his own dishonesty, or he simply doesn’t have a clue what he is going on about. 

The Labour Party could win every single available seat in May, but it will not make the slightest difference to the NHS, because your local council doesn’t run your local hospital. 

Despite Starmer’s numerous flaws and failings, I don’t think he is daft enough to believe what he is saying, which means he is most likely being disingenuous, which is entirely consistent with the last eleven months under his leadership. 

Starmer went further, saying, “Every vote in this election is a chance to show the Conservatives that the British people value our NHS and our key workers so much more than this government does.” 

That’s right, he thinks you’re silly enough to believe that a vote for Labour at the local elections is a vote for an adequate pay rise for NHS staff. 

Again, Labour could turn the entire country red in May, but I’m afraid your local authority do not have the money, or the power, to give NHS workers the pay rise that they deserve - they deal with potholes, waste collections and overflowing dog poo bins. 

Labour’s local election campaign had already got off to a shaky start after Starmer delivered his virtual keynote speech with the passion of a sterilised pigeon. He is unable to command the attention of an audience - not just because of the lack of substance - but because his monotonous ‘style’ simply isn’t endearing, in any way, shape, or form. 

Even my children mock Starmer, in fact, their impressions of him are rather good. You can all try it at home too. Simply hold your nose, and say “the next train at platform one calls at….” 

But anyway, Starmer thought he would be clever by putting the NHS at the forefront of his local election campaign. Alas, the campaign is already falling to pieces before it ever really got going. 

When pressed on what would be Labour’s pay offer to NHS workers, Team Starmer came up with the derisory figure of 2.1%. That’s about £7 a week. Just think of all the wonderful things a nurse can spend that extra £7 on. Perhaps a couple of hours of parking at work? Two coffees? The possibilities are endless. 

But it would appear the government are now discussing offering a pay rise of more than 2%, making Labour and Starmer look utterly ridiculous and completely off the pace, once again. 

Labour’s current manifesto commits to a 5% increase for all public sector staff, but Starmer and Rayner have disowned this pledge in the hope of a few Mail readers believing Labour are the party of fiscal responsibility. 

Can you ever remember a political outfit so embarrassingly desperate for a few favourable headlines from the right-wing media? Do you remember the kid at school that always wanted to be in the bully gang, and they would do all sorts of nasty things to try and get accepted and welcomed into the fold? This is the Labour Party and the vitriolic media’s current relationship status.

Jeremy Corbyn was absolutely right to shun the nefarious tax-shy billionaire media bigots. Jeremy was a big believer in membership empowerment. He wanted us, the grassroots, to help shape and guide Labour policy, rather than be dictated by the media, trendy focus groups, or wealthy private donors looking to purchase their own slice of influence. 

Has anyone considered asking Starmer what his position would be on a second Leveson-style inquiry? Once again, this was Party policy. Is this still the case, or do you think Starmer doesn’t really give a hoot about the victims of phone hacking, because his subservience to Murdoch and Rothermere is of paramount importance to his electoral prospects? 

Isn’t it something of a tragedy that we even have to consider these possibilities? 

Putting the NHS “front and centre” of a local election campaign now appears to be no more than an opportunistic attempt to play games with the very real difficulties faced by NHS workers. 

The Labour Party was once *the* party of the National Health Service. Our jewel in the crown, our greatest national treasure. When people tell you “socialism doesn’t work”, simply point them to your NHS, because that is what a socialist creation looks like. 

The fact Johnson could get away with claiming the Conservatives are the party of the NHS, virtually unchallenged, at this weeks session of Prime Ministers Questions, is a damning indictment of the weak, unprincipled and utterly fucking pointless leadership of Sir Keir Starmer. 

Whether you liked Jeremy or not, there was NEVER any doubting his genuine commitment to the NHS. You simply cannot say the same for Starmer - one of his top advisers is a former lobbyist for the private healthcare industry, for starters. 

Jeremy didn’t worry what the Mail might say, he wanted to reign in the power of the Murdoch empire, and he wanted to make sure the Daily Torygraph didn’t have any issues submitting their tax returns. 

Can you say the same for Sir Keir Starmer? After all, he stood on a manifesto that committed to the democratisation of the BBC - a manifesto that committed to empowering independent journalism - just 15 months ago. 

I ask so many questions of Starmer when I write. The reason for this is because I do not know much about what he actually stands for, and what I do know is mostly unpalatable centrist nonsense that was thoroughly rejected in 2010 and 2015. 

“But what about the rejection of socialism?”, say a few lonely Manic Keith Preachers appearing on my timeline, ripe for an absolute trashing. 

Socialism wasn’t rejected. ‘Get Brexit Done’ *was* elected. 

We can go over this a million times, but the facts will remain. Sabotage, smears, lies, where do I even begin to start? If you still need telling what went wrong, nearly a year and a half after the last General Election, I’m afraid there is very little hope for you. 

Perhaps fuck off to the Lib Dems and give the democratic socialist Labour Party back to the democratic socialists? We’re still not twenty points ahead, are we? This has been an embarrassing failure for you guys, hasn’t it? 

Talking about embarrassing...

Margaret Beckett. The former Blairite cabinet minister and current chair of Labour’s ruling body, the NEC, decided to take a wholly unnecessary dig at fellow NEC member, Laura Pidcock, describing her as a “silly cow”, for having the audacity to represent the Labour Party membership at this week's committee meeting. 

The snide relic Beckett didn’t realise her microphone was still on, which makes me wonder about her competency, or lack of, but what an absolute pilchard. 

Margaret Beckett once tried to claim £600 expenses for hanging baskets and pot plants as she lavished tens of thousands of pounds of your money on her constituency home, whilst living in a grace and favour apartment in London. That’s the type of politician she is. 

Margaret Beckett was controversially gifted the Chair of the NEC. The left had expected NEC vice-chair Ian Murray of the FBU to succeed then-chairperson, Andi Fox, based on an existing rotating chair system. But a sudden last-minute rule FIX ensured Mr Murray was cast aside for Beckett, and the Labour right had their chosen one in place.

This led to a mass walkout by other NEC members, including Howard Beckett, Jayne Taylor, Ian Murray, Andi Fox, Mick Whelan, Andy Kerr, Pauline McCarthy, Lara McNeill, Mish Rahman, Laura Pidcock, Yasmine Dar, Nadia Jama and Gemma Bolton. 

The Labour Party is in one hell of a mess, from top to bottom. There is no credible and cohesive plan to take the party forward. Starmer is playing it by ear, sitting on the fence, shouting loudly how he *wouldn’t* do something, but barely whispering as to how he *would* do something. It’s plain opportunism, it is entirely consistent with his political career thus far, and it’s not working. I’ve noticed it, you have noticed it, and the electorate are turning away from Starmer because they have noticed it too. 

Starmer will painfully go through the four stages of acceptance each and every time. 

1. This is worthless nonsense.

2. This is an interesting, but perverse, point of view.

3. This is true, but quite unimportant.

4. I always said so. 

I know I make a few gentle jibes regarding Starmer’s abundant lack of charisma, it is my right to do so, and it’s your right to tell me it is “purile”, or whatever other word your Thesaurus app throws up. But let me try and be serious about his ocean-sized lack of charisma for a moment. 

Charisma will only win people's attention. Once you have their attention, you need to have something to tell them. So even if someone can get past the charisma crisis, what is he actually going to tell them? Past form would suggest his first line will be, “we support the government on that”. 

It’s dire, isn’t it? The hope of 2017 has been replaced by the dope of 2021. The inspiration and vision of Corbyn has been replaced by the dissuasion and myopia of Starmer. 

Starmer will attempt to use the NHS pay row to feather his own nest, rather than show the guts and leadership that is required to demand nearer a double-digit pay rise for the superb NHS nurses. The lack of demand and the unforgivable abandonment of leadership simply prove his doorstep clapping was nothing more than virtual signalling, a set-up for the cameras. 

What is it with posh people and clapping? Do they seriously think a nurse can wander into Tesco’s and pay for the weekly shopping with a few platitudes? Perhaps they can phone up British Gas and start clapping down the phone? That’ll be the last quarter paid for, surely? 

What I find incredibly saddening is the fact we are having to scream at the Labour Party, as well as the government. The opposition should be on our side, and we should be on theirs, no? But this opposition is hellbent on purging anyone to the left of Ed Miliband from the Labour Party. 

If only they could dedicate this much energy into holding the government to account, who knows where we might be now? 

Morally disingenuous Starmer faces a massive test in May. They will be his election results and he will have to take ownership of them. Anything less than an avalanche of council gains will be deemed a failure, and it could well be when the Labour hard-right make their first move against Starmer and his leadership.

The left have to get organised, and make sure they have a candidate capable of taking advantage of a split centre-right vote, assuming Starmer contests his position.

Have a great day everyone, 

Rachael x

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