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.