Philosophy Now Forum

https://fabians.org.uk/wp-content/uploa ... -fri-1.pdf

If I could believe it, I could endorse it. Unfortunately, there's a lot here that's not credible. It's a lovely fantasy in which the Tories started the culture wars on their own, wind power is an adequate energy technology, and business is going to leap right on board with paying higher wages and more tax. Also, the EU is going to give Labour a fair deal they didn't give the Tories, despite Starmer's plan to 'buy British' - and 50,000 nurses, and 10,000 police are going to appear as if by magic. That said, I really think he should prioritise mental health!

I appreciate he's speaking to several constituencies here - and as he so very gently intimates:

In recent decades, the
legacy of the 1997 Labour government
has become contested to the extent that
the party has at times felt like separate
families living under one roof.

...his own party is a house divided against itself. Despite my personal opinion that he's intelligent, decent and well intentioned - the most credible Labour leader since Blair, the danger, going into this was pleasing no-one, and that's what he's managed to do. His party is such a broad church, whatever he said he was bound to leave someone outside the tent. Only he's put everyone outside the tent, pissing in - by failing to honestly acknowledge and address those divisions. By trying to please everyone, he's pleased no-one. But then, as he says:

The Labour party at its best does not
wait around for the public to decide we
are right.

Best not; Hell is still fairly warm!

As an expression of values, it's okay - and if he were elected, even though he'd not be able to do what he says here; acting on those values, what he did would be okay. It's just, since Corbyn, I can't help looking over his shoulder - and wondering who's sat behind him. It was such a radical departure from what it seems Starmer's trying to get back to (without pissing off the lunatic fringe, who's part in the culture wars and polarisation of politics he either lacks the courage, honesty, or foresight to denounce) I can't trust the parts of the document that speak me, are those that would be enacted. And if you think it's difficult to write an essay that doesn't upset anyone - try running a government like that! It's famously impossible:

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

Labour conference: Starmer's rules change likely to be shelved - Rayner
Published 43 minutes ago

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has indicated that proposed changes to the way the party's leader is elected have been shelved.

Sir Keir Starmer had wanted to ditch the one-member-one-vote system and return to giving trades unions and MPs two-thirds of the votes cast in any future contest.

But the idea faced strong resistance from many on the left of the party.

Labour bosses are meeting later to discuss a revised set of proposals.

But, with the party's annual conference about to get under way in Brighton, the left-wing Momentum group said Sir Keir's plans were "dead".

The row over Labour's constitution began earlier this week, when the leader proposed changing the way his successors would be chosen.

He said he wanted to return to an "electoral college" system - abolished under predecessor Ed Miliband - under which Labour members would only account for a third of the votes in a future leadership contest.

MPs and unions would also each have made up a third of the votes.

But many on the left of Labour argued that this would give MPs - most of whom back Sir Keir - too much influence.

And unions failed to give the proposals the backing to take them further.

The leadership is now putting forward a different set of plans, which will be discussed at a meeting of the NEC at 11:00 BST.

This is believed to include raising the number of MPs' nominations needed before a leadership candidate can enter the full contest.

Sir Keir is also expected to propose removing the right of Labour's registered supporters - who back Labour but are not members - to vote for leaders.

Ms Rayner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm told that the electoral college is not on the order paper for the NEC."

Asked whether Sir Keir's proposals were likely to be voted on at conference, she added: "Some will, some won't because that's the natural rhythm of how conference works."

A source close to Sir Keir told the BBC: "The Labour leader will be putting a package of party reforms to the NEC that better connect us with working people and re-orient us toward the voters who can take us to power."

Another source said that the leadership election reforms had not been presented to the party as "a take-it-or-leave-it deal", adding: "That's how we've approached it and we're pleased with where we've ended up."

But Mish Rahman, a member of the NEC and Momentum's national co-ordinating group, said: "The central measure of Keir Starmer's attack on democracy has comprehensively failed. The electoral college is dead.

"Now to make sure all the other regressive rule changes concocted by the leadership share the same fate."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58689884