The death of the Labour party

In 1999, I joined the Green Party. Why? I've always been a socialist and I always voted Labour, when I bothered to vote. By then, I had seen through Tony Blair. While the media and Labour supporters were still fawning over Emperor Blair, I could see he had no clothes, I was that little boy. People have conveniently forgotten that New Labour was cruel to benefit claimants, built very little housing, and was in hoc to the corporations - a neoliberal party. Blair managed to lose about 5 million votes, the BNP blossomed, but he was worshipped by the party - and still is.

Blairism has mutated in Starmerism, an even crueller and more vacuous version, in the pockets of Palantir and BlackRock, who btw are buying up the UK, soon we won't own any of our own country. I'm sure you're aware of the vicious cuts to PIP and the refusal to lift the two child benefit cap. If you don't know about freeports and SEZs you need to find out. Starmer is taking the UK down the drain via corporate fiefdoms. 

And then, of course, there is his support for the atrocious ongoing support for the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians. 

Many people are now disillusioned with Labour. Starmer promised 'change' and has given us more of the same - on steroids. Labour have plummeted in the polls and Reform, led by uber grifter Farage, are on the rise. The local elections are on Thursday and Reform are ahead in some polls. They could win the by-election in Helsby and Runcorn. 

People were getting really angry after 14 years of Tory government, hence Labour's bizarre landslide in 2024. Now, they are even angrier. Where do they turn? Not to the Tories. Some will go for the Fib Dems. What are the other options? Basically Reform or the Greens, though independents might have a chance.

Part of the key to this is the rotten and corrupt system of government we've had in the UK for decades with politicians in the pockets of corporations, and a FPTP electoral system which doesn't deliver democracy. We still have a House of Lords, FFS! 

All we can do is buckle up, organise and work to get Greens elected. They have the best policies and are doing well in some polls. We don't have a credible alternative left party. At this rate, I may have to rejoin the Greens! *

*I left when Corbyn became Labour leader, as we all know he was sabotaged by the MSM and the political establishment.

We were meant to live together, capitalism has destroyed that.

Guess what? Humans are social animals. We are made that way. We need the company of others to survive and to thrive. This does not mean just family, or friends, it means being part of a real community. That is where we should be based, But we aren't. As I wrote in a previous post here, the nuclear family in the west has divided us up into little boxes, neatly packaged, to divide us and serve the purposes of capitalism.

How many people live on my street. I would guess about 500. How many do I know? About 10 or so. How many are friends? Half a dozen. Why? Is it because I'm not sociable? I don't think so. I would guess that most people in the street are the same. They may know others because they are neighbours or because they meet at the school gates, or possibly the pub. But that's about it. Most people's visitors are family and friends, not locals.

This affects all of us, but we are so used to it, we hardly notice. Being separated into nuclear family units is good for neoliberal capitalism. As Margaret Thatcher said, "there is no such thing as society". Although it has been argued that this was taken out of context, there can be no doubt that the 'atomisation' of individuals suits those that exploit us. It weakens our agency as a collective. Real change has happened when we have come together, as in the solidarity and work of the Suffragettes, for example. Individualism, lauded by some, makes us weaker and easier to use and manipulate. 

A suffragette being arrested.

If you look at indigenous communities, they are collective. People work together and live together in a group. That is how we evolved and how we were made. That is how we should be living, but separation is so ingrained it will be difficult to bring about real change. However, there is nothing to stop us trying to build stronger communities by becoming active in community groups, with solidarity and mutual aid. The way the world is going, we are really going to need this.