‘It’s confidential’: Ashworth’s failure to say what Labour stands for means we only know what it doesn’t
“It’s confidential,” said Ashworth. If he can’t tell us what Labour stands for, then we can’t vote for him, his leader Keir Starmer or any of their cronies. Fair enough?
What a farce the Labour Party has become under Keir Starmer’s leadership!
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain – only to be embarrassed when he could not tell the presenters any of Labour’s current political policies:
The clip again, GMB deleted the original clip but then reposted it.pic.twitter.com/NMhSxLzSjj
— Devutopia (@D_Raval) May 19, 2021
So it seems that while we don’t know what StarmerLabour stands for, we do know what it doesn’t – because we know what he has ditched.
He has ditched all 10 of the pledges that got him elected Labour leader. This means that he was elected under false pretences and should stand for re-election but just you see if he does!
So Starmer Labour doesn’t stand for economic justice, meaning it won’t increase income tax for the top five per cent of earners, reverse the Tories’ cuts in corporation tax and clamp down on tax avoidance, particularly of large corporations.
It doesn’t stand for social justice, meaning it won’t abolish Universal Credit and end the Tories’ cruel sanctions regime; set a national goal for wellbeing to make health as important as GDP; invest in services that help shift to a preventative approach; stand up for universal services and defend our NHS. Nor will it support the abolition of tuition fees and invest in lifelong learning.
It doesn’t stand for climate justice, meaning it won’t put the Green New Deal at the heart of everything it does. It will not bring in a Clean Air Act to tackle pollution locally or demand international action on climate rights.
It won’t promote peace and human rights, meaning it won’t oppose illegal wars. Nor will it introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act and put human rights at the heart of foreign policy, review all UK arms sales or make the UK a force for international peace and justice.
It doesn’t stand for common ownership, meaning it won’t put public services back in public hands instead of making profits for shareholders. It won’t support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water and it won’t end outsourcing in our NHS, local government and justice system.
It won’t support migrants’ rights, meaning it won’t give full voting rights to EU nationals, defend free movement with the EU, offer an immigration system based on compassion and dignity, end indefinite detention and call for the closure of centres such as Yarl’s Wood.
It doesn’t stand for workers’ rights and trade unions, meaning it won’t work shoulder to shoulder with trade unions to stand up for working people, tackle insecure work and low pay. It won’t repeal the Trade Union Act. It won’t oppose Tory attacks on the right to take industrial action and the weakening of workplace rights.
It doesn’t stand for a radical devolution of power, wealth, rights and opportunity, meaning it won’t push power, wealth and opportunity away from Whitehall. It won’t create a federal system to devolve powers – including through regional investment banks and control over regional industrial strategy. It won’t abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected chamber of regions and nations.
StarmerLabour doesn’t stand for equality, meaning it won’t pull down obstacles that limit opportunities and talent. It is no longer the party of the Equal Pay Act, Sure Start, BAME representation and the abolition of Section 28.
And StarmerLabour absolutely does not stand for effective opposition to the Tories. It won’t offer forensic, effective opposition to the Tories in Parliament, linked up to its mass membership and it will not run a professional election operation. It will further split the party, suppress pluralism and diminish our culture. It won’t eradicate the scourge of antisemitism. And it will erode collective links with the unions.
So, knowing this, here’s my question:
Starmer has betrayed everything Labour used to stand for. Why should we care what he’s offering instead?
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Just before our local elections, I spoke to my Labour candidate and asked him how we could support Labour under Starmer. He waffled a bit about Starmer not being clear on policies – and here’s the proof. Pathetic. Oh, and Ashworth saying he won’t comment on policies because it’s confidential was ‘a throw-away remark’? I get the impression it’s because they don’t really have any – except for supporting the tories.
what annoyed me was how quickly people voted for starmer even so he refused to say who was funding his election campaign! I cannot believe how easily people fell for his BS, I fear labour are a lost cause! I hope I’m wrong.
>‘It’s confidential’
FFS this says everything about the cult of new Labour 2.0! No Policies, no ideas, no direction just trust us we are better than them socialists yet these scum have infested Labour party like cancer no they are in charge they are destroying it yet now they have power like the non-entities they are like this idiot prepared to go on national TV and tell everyone they have no policies and he can’t tell them what he believes in!
They keep on with the BS that Jeremy Corbin wrecked the party but under his leadership. We were scaring the Torys, had policies and a diverse membership now compare it to the leadership of this right-wing cult?
Starmer is making the same mistake that Labour did before they were put out of power last time ie ‘Focus Groups’ instead of Core Labour Values. You have to stick to the Party’s Core Values then get out there and persuade the electorate of why you’re right. Campaigning at grass roots level well before any election is the way they should be doing it, encouraging debate, having meetings and allowing the public to meet and question the leaders. This method STILL works, think back to the Scottish Referendum campaign. Sturgeon and Salmond went round town halls etc allowing anyone who attended to ask questions after she or he had spoken. I know people who attended and even those not persuaded were still impressed by this. They lifted their support by 25%! And that support has been retained in the years following. Labour in England is suffering from what Labour in Scotland suffered a few years ago. They grew fat and lazy on easy votes in safe seats. They took those people for granted, their attitude was ‘who else are they going to vote for?’ Eventually the electorate found someone else to vote for and it’s entirely possible Labour will permanently lose these votes as has already happened in Scotland..
Ashworth is ”going to ask the country how they want the country to change”.
What on earth has Labour been doing they should know what the country wants,
That what Labour MP’s should be doing when talking to their constituents week in week out.
What a blatant lack of leadership