Let's face it - the Labour Party has never been fit for purpose.

If you are a Labour Party member you will have a party card which states: "The Labour party is a democratic socialist party". But there is a problem - Labour is not a democratic socialist party and never has been, and it's not even particularly democratic. The party has always been dominated by the right and has failed in over a century to make radical reforms to our antiquated, class-ridden, parliamentary system which works in the interests of the ruling class.

I'd recommend you read the classic Parliamentary Socialism by Ralph Miliband. Although his book only covers the history of the Party up until the early 1960s it describes how even origins of the Party were not particularly radical and how it has always operated within the system of British capitalism rather than trying to bring about real change beneficial to the mass of British citizens. As Miliband said: 

"the Labour Party remains, in practice, what it has always been - a party of modest social reform in a capitalist system within whose confines it is ever more firmly and by now irrevocably rooted."

And so we find ourselves in a 21st century which is beginning to look more like the 19th century as it progresses, with mass poverty, low pay, poor housing,  privatised healthcare and education, dominated financial interests and the same ruling class.

The election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Labour in 2015 was an aberration. Though welcome it was obvious that the right of the Party which dominated the PLP would leave no stone unturned in its quest to ensure that this blip was ended as quickly as possible. 

The recent debacle in which Keir Starmer first suspended and then refused to restore the whip to Corbyn, after he was reinstated by an NEC panel demonstrates the determination of the right to crush the left in the party. And let's not forget this is the same Starmer who was elected as leader on the promise of uniting the party with the votes of many Corbyn supporters.

There can be no doubt now that in terms of membership and MPs the Party is further to the left than it has been for most if its history but how should the left respond to the ongoing attacks which are not going to let up? Should they leave or stay and fight? 

Many have already left and those who remain, certainly in the PLP don't appear to be putting up much of a fight at the moment. My view is that Labour is beyond redemption as far as democratic socialism is concerned. It would be better if Corbyn and the Socialist Campaign Group departed, and with the support of sympathetic unions set up a genuinely democratic socialist party. I've no doubt this could gain a membership of a couple of hundred thousand people and would have four years to organise and campaign to fight a general election in 2024. 

Will this happen? I doubt it, but it's still possible that Starmer and the Blairite rabble in the PLP could make the mistake of expelling Corbyn and that should be a game-changer. 

How #Trump wins

As I write this, the US presidential election is in the balance. Biden is ahead but there is no certainty he is going to win. Trump could still win a second term. The big question is - how? How can a man who is a narcissist, rapist, racist, misogynist, tax-dodging, corrupt monster responsible for 225,000 Covid deaths possibly win a second term?

More easily than you might think actually. Firstly he appeals to many because he is seen as straight-talking, and many are disillusioned with politicians' empty promises. He 'says what he thinks' even if that is only for effect. I saw some footage of him at a rally the other day. I hate to admit it but I was impressed. He was slick, he came across as a consummate performer, almost like a very good stand up comedian. And what he said hit home. Every phrase and sentence pushed the buttons of his admiring supporters.

"Make America great again", "Build the wall", "Jobs, jobs, jobs" - this is exactly what millions of Americans, who've been suffering from low pay and joblessness and have been ground down by forty years of neoliberalism want to hear. To them, he is a saviour. Contrast that with the mealy-mouthed platitudes and empty slogans of "Yes we can" Obama, who did nothing for the American working class and plenty for his backers in Wall Street. 

The truth is that the mainstream Democrats and their corporate backers have nothing to offer the great majority of Americans. People are desperate for change and no amount of Biden's appeal that "we can be better" will change that or assuage their anger. This is the beauty of neoliberalism, you dump on the many, slash their pay, benefits, and healthcare. Then you find a populist like Trump to offer them change - with no intention of delivering anything.

It was the same with Brexit. The Tories dumped on the UK working class, particularly in the industrial North, and brought poverty and homelessness, and despair to many thousands. Then they pushed the same buttons of anger and frustration that Trump did, blamed it all on the EU and immigrants, and offered to make Britain great again by leaving the EU - result? Boris Johnson and an eighty seat majority.

Its a tried and tested method and it works over and over again. The left has failed to find an effective antidote, largely because it doesn't hold the levers of economic power and control the media. Simply appealing to people's better nature for compassion, fairness and equality doesn't work in a climate of fear and anger.

In The Byline Times today Anthony Barnett summed the situation up:

The US is deeply polarised and this has to be addressed not denied by claiming ‘we can overcome’. Obama presided over a massive widening of inequality, something Biden Democrats have never acknowledged. The system he represents and assisted is divisive and makes his words ring hollow. 

By contrast, in Michigan, Trump rallied his supporters with a claim on the future that recognised America as a battleground: “We are going to keep on working, we are going to keep on fighting, and we are going to keep on winning, winning, winning.” 

And they love him for it.