John McDonnell MP says Labour must stop playing into the hands of Reform
Somehow, party members going to Labour Party Conference have to try and inject some sense of political reality into what is otherwise threatening to be a controlled corporate marketing event.
We are facing the most dangerous political threat our country has faced since the emergence of racist, fascist groups like the National Front and the BNP in the 1970s. In fact, the risk is greater.
The NF and BNP were street fascists and failed to secure electoral momentum, largely as a result of the mobilisation of a majority of decent people by the Left and our progressive allies using vehicles like the Anti-Nazi League.
The far right in the UK has learnt from the United States that effective use of both the mainstream and social media is one of the keys to complementing street mobilisation in order to establish an electoral base.
Not surprisingly, the ownership and control of much of our media is in the hands of people and corporations that are willing to provide a platform for the far right.
In recent years, the cuts in the journalistic resources of our broadcast media have resulted in broadcast news and discussion programmes tamely following press stunt stories placed by the right and providing platforms for spokespersons of the far right.
This is complemented by demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers and a sense that permission has been granted for the expression of racism and xenophobia, with attitudes and language of intolerance reappearing that we thought we would never see again.
The Labour leadership has played into the hands of the far right with a series of catastrophic policy decisions, including both the winter fuel allowance debacle and the cruelty of the disability benefit cuts, and by pursuing a disastrous strategy of trying to defeat Reform by aping Reform.
The result is that Reform has, on average, a 9-point lead over Labour in the opinion polls, it is winning council by-elections on a weekly basis across the country, with a massive drop in support for Labour from anything like 10 to 40%.
Any criticism of the political strategy of the party leadership has been met not by any attempt to discuss concerns or listen to alternatives but by disciplinary measures, including the withdrawal of the Labour whip from several MPs.
Withdrawal of the whip was never used under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for voting against the government. Now it has become the common place threat of the current leadership.
The rule of disciplinary threat and purge is not just at the level of the PLP, as throughout the party at all levels there is a reign of harsh and at times unfeeling, brutal discipline.
A word of criticism of the party’s policies or leadership in party or Labour group meetings can result in councillors, who have devoted their lives to our party, being blocked from standing again.
In a recent council leadership election, a Left candidate dared to win, but soon the regional office stepped in to declare the vote invalid and re-ran the election using the notorious Anonyvote system, and, of course, the Left candidate was removed.
The denial of party members to discuss one of the most pressing issues of this generation, Gaza, is an astounding example of how the door to democracy is closing in the party.
The consequence of the heavy-handed disciplinary regime and the undermining of party democracy is the formation of a party to the Left of Labour.
Loyal, longstanding party members have been shown the door, and many have now taken it.
To have the Left and progressive forces split in this way adds to the danger of the threat from the far right.
The lesson of the 1930s should teach us all that this split provides the opportunity for the right to exploit. In the 1930s, it was only too late that they realised the need for a popular front uniting the Left and all progressive forces to confront and defeat the far right. A popular front is exactly what is needed now.
It must start with an argument for radical change in the Labour Party and Labour in government.
We need a leadership that delivers a radical policy programme which redistributes wealth on a scale not only to rejuvenate our economy and rebuild our public services, but to tackle the grotesque levels of inequality and poverty that scar our society
We need Labour ministers standing up to advocate for fulfilling our humanitarian responsibilities, whether it is welcoming refugees to our place of safety or forcing, with economic sanctions and political isolation, an end to the genocide in Gaza.
We need a leadership that ends the purge of our members and hands them the power to take back control of their party from the centralised right-wing bureaucracy that now controls it.
The political climate is unstable and uncertain, but what is certain is that we cannot go on as we are, for if we do, we risk not just losing the next election but the party itself.