Any hope of Labour returning to the Left died with Robin Cook

[tjwmason]

Tony Blair's advisers often quote the feminist writer Gloria Steinem's aphorism that today everything political is personal. There are few politicians, however, who prove that the personal can also be the political. Robin Cook was one who did.

As the ablest and most articulate spokesman for the Labour Left, he symbolised the path not followed by his party. Through his resignation from the Government over the war in Iraq, he became an emblem of Old Labour's frustration with Mr Blair. His death is therefore not just a personal tragedy for his family, it is also a political event. It is now less likely than ever that Labour will return to its traditional socialist roots.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/08/08/do0801.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/08/08/ixopinion.html

An interesting article from today's Torygraph. If one accepts the premise that Brown is not actually real Labour - then who is there to present the perspective of the left?

[non sociopath skin]

1. The thought occurred to me too.

Robin was by far the most gifted and well-respected of the few mainstream politicians who still deserve the epithet, "Left-wing."

The Skin

[Taxloss]

2. Don't underestimate Labour.

Remember that Labour is its members, not the PLP. With the unions, to a lesser extent. Certainly, Blair has proved to be a upas tree in terms of parliamentary talent, as authoritarian leaders often are, but there are still plenty of Old Labour genes in the membership and lower organisation.

[Briar]

3. I know a lot of its members

and they all grouse about Bliar and his neo Thatcherism. But when it comes to elections they still grub for votes which give Bliar his "mandate" and their ability to persuade their MP to go through the opposing lobby on key issues is virtually nil.

[Taxloss]

4. True, under Blair.

What I'm saying is that the DNA for regeneration is present.

Lately, especially after Cookie died, I've been wondering is a brief stint in opposition might be the only thing to snap the PLP out of it. But maybe it would just herd them further to the right.

Sigh.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

5. I don't think we'll see the mixed economy model of pre-1976

again, but I think Britain might actually go into a leftwards direction once more.

The Blairite version of Market Liberalism has proved to be too right-wing even for the centre-ground of British politics. If the Labour Party wish for their support to be undermined further by Lib Dems from their left then they'll need to edge back towards the left to keep in power.

I don't think we'll see Swedish-style Social Democracy (though I'd love that) but we may see an in-between version of social democracy and market liberalism.

I don't expect that Gordon Brown will bring about a socialist panacea but I imagine that his premiership to be more equitable, sensible and tolerable one than what Tony Blair brought us. Blairism's association with neoliberal crusades abroad will have made it extremely difficult for Labour to continue down that ideological route.

[T_i_B]

6. Well who can lead the Labour Left?

Lots of names have been put about on DU but are any really that plausable? Here's a little list.

Claire Short
Ken Livingstone
Frank Dobson
Jeremy Corbyn
Micheal Meacher
Denis Murphy O8)
Stephen Byers
Diane Abbott

I'll leave you lot to think of any other possible candidates, or reasons why anyone on the above list light not be as credible as Robin Cook.

[lockdown]

7. From that list

I suppose Ken Livingstone is the one that stands out to me, speaking as more of a passive observer than someone well versed in internal Labour alliances and histories. High profile figure, well regarded by the public beyond just London I think, capable of standing up for principles in the face of media onslaughts and taking on battles. I like Corbyn a lot and I'm glad he's there, but he's no leader (no disrespect meant, most of us aren't).

Meacher is verboten. I've barely heard mention of him since he dared raise 9/11 questions.

[sweetheart]

8. There was a telling comic on this in the times

(i think the times, perhaps the guardian).. ?

The cartoon showed bliar, clark, straw, prescott, brown and the rest of
the motley crew standing at the side of a coffin enscribed "robin cook"
and on the top of the coffin was a huge "labour rose" laid like the
flower that would now pass with the death of one of the finer stock.

But sadly, the good ones are dying and the nutters are making silly laws
rather than focusing on getting the british people fair representation
through proportional representation, and getting to look at how the
country is involved in institutional war crimes.