If Labour has lost our trust, as I suggested earlier, then what kind of left-wing party could take Labour’s place?
For want of someone human with whom to discuss this, I turned to AI – and it actually provided some worthwhile insights.
For starters, it suggested that the key challenge will be overcoming the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system, which heavily favours the two main parties.
But if a new movement can tap into growing public dissatisfaction with the status quo and build a strong local and regional presence, it could lay the groundwork for serious change. Why not? Reform UK has proved it can be done on the Right.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
There’s also a real appetite for proportional representation, which could be a rallying point for a new Left movement.
Another Left policy that is known to be popular with the nation is re-nationalisation of public utilities – “public ownership”, as Keir Starmer has sometimes called it, before he backtracked on the idea entirely in one of the many betrayals for which he has become infamous.
This Writer would suggest that a new Left party would not support full renationalisation, but would take a pragmatic approach, concentrating on those privatised industries that are now in such terrible disrepair that they demand it. Water, energy and the railways could all be re-nationalised; private interests could be removed from the NHS too.
Rising bills, failing infrastructure, and poor service have made public ownership an increasingly popular idea, even beyond traditional left-wing circles.
As for the NHS, removing private interests would be a major step in restoring it to a truly public service rather than a profit-driven marketplace. Many would argue that creeping privatisation is one of the biggest threats to the NHS’s long-term survival. A new party advocating for a fully public NHS, free from private profiteering, could gain serious traction.
I would also support a more redistributive tax system. Wealth – and asset ownership – has trickled up to the already-wealthy with increasing speed over the last 40+ neoliberal years, putting the asset-poor and wealth-poor into increasing poverty. This is not sustainable.
A redistributive tax system would be essential in reversing decades of neoliberal policy that have favoured asset owners over wage earners.Some potential measures a new left-wing party could advocate for include:
- Wealth Taxes – A fair tax on extreme wealth, targeting the richest individuals and corporations who have benefited most from deregulation and financialisation.
- Land Value Tax – Addressing the housing crisis by taxing landowners who hoard property, discouraging speculation and making housing more affordable.
- Higher Taxes on the Super-Rich – Reversing the tax cuts for the wealthiest that began under Thatcher and continued under successive governments.
- Closing Loopholes & Cracking Down on Tax Havens – Ensuring billionaires and corporations pay their fair share instead of stashing wealth offshore.
Without serious redistribution, inequality will only worsen, leading to deeper social unrest and economic instability. Labour under Starmer has shown little interest in challenging this status quo, so a new movement could fill that void.
But the central issue has to be safety and security for everyone.
With wealth in the hands of the few, assets aren’t being used to greatest effect for everyone, meaning services are poor. There’s a knock-on effect on security as well, because the lack of public wealth means a lack of resources to protect our borders and the nation as a whole.
True security isn’t just about military strength or border control, though; it’s about ensuring people have economic security, social stability, and access to essential services. When wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, it leads to failing public infrastructure, underfunded services, and increased insecurity for the majority.
A properly funded state could provide:
- Economic Security – Ensuring that people have stable jobs, fair wages, and a strong social safety net so they aren’t living in fear of poverty or homelessness.
- Public Service Investment – Rebuilding essential services like healthcare, education, and transportation, which are crumbling under privatisation and austerity.
- National Security in a Broader Sense – Protecting borders and ensuring internal stability without scapegoating migrants or resorting to authoritarian policies. This means having a well-resourced public sector, from emergency services to critical infrastructure.
Under neoliberalism, “security” has been hijacked to mean just policing, surveillance, and military spending, while the deeper issues—economic precarity, lack of opportunity, and failing public services—are ignored.
A new left movement that redefines security as the well-being of all citizens would be a serious challenge to the current political orthodoxy.
Do you agree?
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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
What kind of left-wing party could take Labour’s place
If Labour has lost our trust, as I suggested earlier, then what kind of left-wing party could take Labour’s place?
For want of someone human with whom to discuss this, I turned to AI – and it actually provided some worthwhile insights.
For starters, it suggested that the key challenge will be overcoming the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system, which heavily favours the two main parties.
But if a new movement can tap into growing public dissatisfaction with the status quo and build a strong local and regional presence, it could lay the groundwork for serious change. Why not? Reform UK has proved it can be done on the Right.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
There’s also a real appetite for proportional representation, which could be a rallying point for a new Left movement.
Another Left policy that is known to be popular with the nation is re-nationalisation of public utilities – “public ownership”, as Keir Starmer has sometimes called it, before he backtracked on the idea entirely in one of the many betrayals for which he has become infamous.
This Writer would suggest that a new Left party would not support full renationalisation, but would take a pragmatic approach, concentrating on those privatised industries that are now in such terrible disrepair that they demand it. Water, energy and the railways could all be re-nationalised; private interests could be removed from the NHS too.
Rising bills, failing infrastructure, and poor service have made public ownership an increasingly popular idea, even beyond traditional left-wing circles.
As for the NHS, removing private interests would be a major step in restoring it to a truly public service rather than a profit-driven marketplace. Many would argue that creeping privatisation is one of the biggest threats to the NHS’s long-term survival. A new party advocating for a fully public NHS, free from private profiteering, could gain serious traction.
I would also support a more redistributive tax system. Wealth – and asset ownership – has trickled up to the already-wealthy with increasing speed over the last 40+ neoliberal years, putting the asset-poor and wealth-poor into increasing poverty. This is not sustainable.
A redistributive tax system would be essential in reversing decades of neoliberal policy that have favoured asset owners over wage earners.Some potential measures a new left-wing party could advocate for include:
Without serious redistribution, inequality will only worsen, leading to deeper social unrest and economic instability. Labour under Starmer has shown little interest in challenging this status quo, so a new movement could fill that void.
But the central issue has to be safety and security for everyone.
With wealth in the hands of the few, assets aren’t being used to greatest effect for everyone, meaning services are poor. There’s a knock-on effect on security as well, because the lack of public wealth means a lack of resources to protect our borders and the nation as a whole.
True security isn’t just about military strength or border control, though; it’s about ensuring people have economic security, social stability, and access to essential services. When wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, it leads to failing public infrastructure, underfunded services, and increased insecurity for the majority.
A properly funded state could provide:
Under neoliberalism, “security” has been hijacked to mean just policing, surveillance, and military spending, while the deeper issues—economic precarity, lack of opportunity, and failing public services—are ignored.
A new left movement that redefines security as the well-being of all citizens would be a serious challenge to the current political orthodoxy.
Do you agree?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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