John Wight in Socialist Unity tracks the woeful recent history of the Labour Party in abandoning its traditional base using the Daily Mirror’s endorsement of David Miliband for Labour leader as an example.
In essence, the Mirror has succumbed to the myth that Labour needs to reconnect to middle England rather than its core vote and the working class. It echoes the New Labour line, espoused by Blair in today’s papers, that Labour lost the last election not because of New Labour, but because the party wasn’t New Labour enough.
Ed Miliband [David’s brother and also a politician] at least recognises that huge swathes of the working class turned its back on Labour at the last election, due to the demoralisation caused by the previous years of betrayal and the righward shift which saw Labour only succeeding in out-Torying the Tories on too many key issues.
Sounds like the Democratic Party, doesn’t it? Moving steadily to the right, ignoring or even backstabbing its traditional base, too often a Mini-Me to the Republicans, with no discernable platform or anything it will stand and fight for.
If David Milliband does get elected, the pattern whereby the unions are treated as an embarrassing older relative will continue.
There was a time when the Democratic Party strongly supported unions, the working class, immigrants, the poor. But those days are gone.
So, have you heard about those Green candidates that have been endorsed by unions? Ben Manski for state legislature in Wisconsin, a state legislative candidate in Arkansas, Hugh Giordano (click my name) for state legislature in PA, Tom Clements for US Senate in South Carolina……