Starmer should have a look at the reality of triangulation - the Labour Party lost millions of voters between 1997 and 2005, and only the anomalies of FPTP kept them in power.
As you say, we are decades on from Blair's first victory; the generations who voted Labour regardless of policy are ageing and dying out; younger workers have no reason to look at Starmer any differently than any other politician on the make.
The problem is Starmerites don't see it. A lot of the indy young team in Scotland voted Labour in 2019 because they liked Corbyn's ideas. After Corbyn was defenestrated, someone on the Labour right (I think it was Ayesha Hazarika) asked on twitter if Scots would vote Labour again now Corbyn was replaced!
Those pesky trade unions used to corral their workers into voting Labour. Maybe they had a use after all!
What the Labour Left have never understood is that Britain is essentially a conservative country. People may bang on about lefty policies but when push comes to shove people vote in their and their family’s best interests. The Labour Left didn’t seem to mind that they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of governing with the likes of Corbyn, McDonnell and Abbott, as long as they could shout their lefty slogans. Starmer may well be a turncoat but at least he’s turned in the right direction.
There is every reason to believe that on subjects like renationalisation of the railways, the post office and English & Welsh water, the public are far to the left of political parties. The problem is FPTP means that there is no way for the public to articulate this.
Also, the rightward movement of the Overton Window means that subjects that were never up for debate, like feeding our children, treating disabled people with dignity or making unemployment benefit enough to live on, are now regarded as "far left" policies instead of simple decency.
Starmer should have a look at the reality of triangulation - the Labour Party lost millions of voters between 1997 and 2005, and only the anomalies of FPTP kept them in power.
As you say, we are decades on from Blair's first victory; the generations who voted Labour regardless of policy are ageing and dying out; younger workers have no reason to look at Starmer any differently than any other politician on the make.
The problem is Starmerites don't see it. A lot of the indy young team in Scotland voted Labour in 2019 because they liked Corbyn's ideas. After Corbyn was defenestrated, someone on the Labour right (I think it was Ayesha Hazarika) asked on twitter if Scots would vote Labour again now Corbyn was replaced!
Those pesky trade unions used to corral their workers into voting Labour. Maybe they had a use after all!
“A lot of the indy young team in Scotland voted Labour in 2019 because they liked Corbyn's ideas.“
Fortunately the young grown up and gain some sense.
What the Labour Left have never understood is that Britain is essentially a conservative country. People may bang on about lefty policies but when push comes to shove people vote in their and their family’s best interests. The Labour Left didn’t seem to mind that they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of governing with the likes of Corbyn, McDonnell and Abbott, as long as they could shout their lefty slogans. Starmer may well be a turncoat but at least he’s turned in the right direction.
There is every reason to believe that on subjects like renationalisation of the railways, the post office and English & Welsh water, the public are far to the left of political parties. The problem is FPTP means that there is no way for the public to articulate this.
Also, the rightward movement of the Overton Window means that subjects that were never up for debate, like feeding our children, treating disabled people with dignity or making unemployment benefit enough to live on, are now regarded as "far left" policies instead of simple decency.