Labour Chaos - Don’t Be Distracted

A Government that had, no more than a year ago, been returned to power with 411 MPs, has this week been exposed as a clueless shambles, with its leader clearly not in control of his Parliamentary troops, and despite its main opposition, the Tories, showing that they are, in every political department, yet worse. But our free and fearless press has failed to identify the cause.

Morgan McSweeney - out of excuses

Their attention was seized by Rachel Reeves, the under-fire Chancellor of the Exchequer, appearing tearful and upset in the Commons yesterday. All the otherwise unemployable talking heads instantly knew more about this than anyone else, including Ms Reeves. But they still failed to nail the culprit.

It wasn’t about Ms Reeves, although she has been made the scapegoat for so long that it has clearly had a deleterious effect on her. The leader of this particular incarnation of Team Shambles is Keir Starmer, for whom former BBC man Jon Sopel had especially harsh words: “The political ineptitude and mismanagement of this is epic. The whips office, the Downing St operation, and DWP should be hanging heads in shame. And truly disastrous for Keir Starmer and what’s left of his authority”. Or was it really Keir Starmer?

The question has to be put, as Patrick Maguire of the Murdoch Times was a little nearer the target. “Keir Starmer told cabinet this morning that briefings against Morgan McSweeney must stop … PM said McSweeney had his full support and he ‘will not countenance’ criticism of him … Warned ministers: ‘We will not turn on our staff’ … Said Labour wouldn’t have won without McSweeney”. And a last sentence that identifies who really wrote that.

Labour “wouldn’t have won without McSweeney”? Without the heroic presence of the rank coward who won’t come forward and front up for his failings? The Big Man (ho ho ho) who, by the admission of his “friends”, worked to throw the 2019 General Election? Yeah, right.

The alleged political titan who made Labour so electable that 560,000 fewer voters put their cross next to the candidate representing The Red Team? And now the presence behind Starmer’s warning not to go after him. The problem for McSweeney and his cabal of nonentities is that they have been rumbled.

Abdi Duale - maybe change the background colour next time

Labour won as the Tory vote imploded, Reform UK split what was left, and turnout dropped to an abysmal 59.7%. There was no four dimensional chess on offer, just plain and shameless opportunism. Also, Labour’s poll numbers showed a worrying downturn in the last days of the campaign. What support remains is now being sprayed up the wall on a series of unpopular measures.

Whoever is in 11 Downing Street appears to be forbidden to ask the well off to pay a little more in tax. Is that Ms Reeves’ own choice, or is the McSweeney cabal behind that, too? Is that cabal behind all the threats of deselection made towards MPs who express a little more empathy towards the poor and vulnerable? We had a mere hint on that score yesterday.

McSweeney’s pal Abdi Duale, one of the “we won and the lefties lost tee hee hee” brigade, declared apropos something said in the Commons “This should be a cause for expulsion, no excuses”. Since when did he make the rules? Doesn’t New New Labour bother with due process any more?

This is, let us not forget, the crowd who loved to taunt Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership team with the claim that any other leader would be 20 points ahead in the polls. Even being one point ahead of Reform UK and its self-appointed Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage is, right now, something Starmer and his team can only dream of. And that, despite the stream of excuses from The Great Man, is directly down to McSweeney.

Writer and campaigner Francesca Martinez put it directly: “It's laughable how hard Labour are trying to avoid taxing the super rich … During Covid, it's estimated that the UK's richest increased their wealth by £890 billion … A tax of 0.6% would raise billions – and not push anyone into poverty … So does Labour now represent the super rich?”. Maybe that should be “Blue Labour”.

Whether “Blue” or “New New”, this incarnation of the cabal behind Labour has come to the end of its road. But won’t admit it. Or go with good grace.

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