After a week of nothing but mischief making by the hard left Keir Starmer did need to make a good speech today and in that he mostly succeeded even getting a minor "Kinnock moment" with his comment responding to heckler's by saying"shouting slogans or changing lives, conference?"
The conference floor became his as even some opponents realised that a show of at least some decorum was necessary if there was to be a party left to challenge the Tories with. However despite this reflecting on the weeks events shows that this is only the beginning of a long fight to reclaim the party.
Conference began badly with the news that Rosie Duffield was not attending because of threats and abuse from extremists within the trans and gender politics community. Last time it was Jewish MP Luciana Berger threatened by the antisemites of the anti-Zionist movement.
Whilst Starmer has helped roll back the obvious antisemites including the scroats of the so-called Jewish Voice for Labour group one of whom had to be removed by the police earlier this week his decision to fall for the ideological nonsense of the trans movement has helped make the party less safe for women.
The conference floor became his as even some opponents realised that a show of at least some decorum was necessary if there was to be a party left to challenge the Tories with. However despite this reflecting on the weeks events shows that this is only the beginning of a long fight to reclaim the party.
Conference began badly with the news that Rosie Duffield was not attending because of threats and abuse from extremists within the trans and gender politics community. Last time it was Jewish MP Luciana Berger threatened by the antisemites of the anti-Zionist movement.
Whilst Starmer has helped roll back the obvious antisemites including the scroats of the so-called Jewish Voice for Labour group one of whom had to be removed by the police earlier this week his decision to fall for the ideological nonsense of the trans movement has helped make the party less safe for women.
Supporting the absurdist position of the trans movement by stating it's wrong to say "only women have a cervix" has encouraged the tetesterone fuelled misogynists of the gender movement. Labour Women's Declaration was forced to hold it's conference fringe meeting in secret because last time it was attacked by over-privlaged activists and their supporters.
Meanwhile the JVL fringe meeting (oddly advertised in the Conference guide when it's not even affiliated) brought the party into disrepute when an LBC journalist was assaulted and pushed out of the room by expelled member Tony Greenstein a with the assistance of other supporters of this hate group.
Meanwhile the JVL fringe meeting (oddly advertised in the Conference guide when it's not even affiliated) brought the party into disrepute when an LBC journalist was assaulted and pushed out of the room by expelled member Tony Greenstein a with the assistance of other supporters of this hate group.
Conference also went on to pass the most extreme anti-Israel motion which bodes ill for Louise Ellman's decision that the Labour Party is safe for Jews to return to.
While Starmer was able to get through some reforms the hard left are still strong enough to prevent further necessary reform and the leadership needs to concentrate on ridding the party of those individuals and elements that hold it back.
The departure of the hard-left Bakers union was a pre-planned stunt to embarrass Keir Starmer though one wonders whether the actual members support this since there was no ballot. However it has the effect of weakening the hard left inside Labour.
Labour needs to reform itself into a modern mainstream social democratic party but so much ideological baggage still holds the party has a long way to go before it will be ready for government. Given the events at this conference that is unlikely to happen before the next election. The hard left have proved they a stubborn satin to remove.
Hopefully Starmer will be the man to clean the party up in the long term....providing he remembers women's rights in future.
While Starmer was able to get through some reforms the hard left are still strong enough to prevent further necessary reform and the leadership needs to concentrate on ridding the party of those individuals and elements that hold it back.
The departure of the hard-left Bakers union was a pre-planned stunt to embarrass Keir Starmer though one wonders whether the actual members support this since there was no ballot. However it has the effect of weakening the hard left inside Labour.
Labour needs to reform itself into a modern mainstream social democratic party but so much ideological baggage still holds the party has a long way to go before it will be ready for government. Given the events at this conference that is unlikely to happen before the next election. The hard left have proved they a stubborn satin to remove.
Hopefully Starmer will be the man to clean the party up in the long term....providing he remembers women's rights in future.
Further reading: Labour Women's Declaration.org.uk
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