17 October
Dear Keir Starmer,
I am writing to discuss the current position of the Labour party, in how it has the potential to change the current political, economic and social situation for Britain, but is failing to convince the public to support its cause. It is too simple to say to you to unite the party, as opposing left and right of the party will undoubtedly not see eye to eye on virtually most issues. However, this does not mean that the recent actions you have taken to try to block the left of the party from effectively winning a leadership election will help unify the party in any way. The abject failures of the current government mirror Major's downfall leading up to the 1997 election, except the same cannot be said for the hope projected by Labour in 1997 compared to today. I compel you to not try win with an isolated, divided labour party, unite not just your own party, but the parties with common aims, and show the public the labour party of today are just as capable of winning as the labour party of 1997.
To begin with, the spats within your party as I'm sure you know severely undermine the image of the Labour party, and make it all to easy for media and opponents to strike at what looks like a fractured Labour party. The first step I believe to help fix the rift in the party is to really but forward WHAT YOU STAND FOR! It is still predominately unclear amongst the public, but even amongst Labour members such as myself what are your aims. I presume that the 10 pledges you put forward no longer represent your beliefs, as you circumvented away from the pledge to nationalise the big six energy companies. You have suggested in the past that you are a socialist, but the enacting new party rules that effectively exclude socialists from winning the leadership, and the heckling during the conference leads one to believe that that statement no longer exclaims the truth. Your speech at the Labour conference was a good start, and had some positive aspects concerning the proposal of a green new deal, the description of deep seated inequalities exacerbated by Covid and finally the talk of Labour as the party of the union, which I believe starts to put in perspective your aim for the party. However, most of that speech seemed to me the usually talking points from Labour, investing more in education than the Tories, dealing with crime and causes of crime. Your vision ultimately for the party still has yet to come through and resonate with the party, and I sympathise that taking a stand can alienate support from a certain subsection of the party, however if people know what you personally stand for they are certainly more likely to stand behind you, as they have a grasp of the future that you want to lead Britain towards.
My second point concerns unity on the left of politics. It is highly unlikely that especially in the next general election, Labour will succeed in winning a majority. I do not think that Labour has the capacity to win general elections on its own, at least for the present future. It is far more beneficial that you look beyond just the borders of your party, and try to establish a relationship with those parties that share your aims, most notably the Greens, SNP and the Liberal Democrats. These parties represent a significant minority of the electorate that Labour can surely tap into to gain support. However, this would mean that you would have to make the significant pledge of establishing a more proportional electoral system, one that promotes more power sharing and collaboration between the parties, but also allows for those smaller parties who represent that significant minority to be able to win more seats in elections. The first past the post system has lead to a plethora of wasted votes, that makes voters feel more alienated and undervalued than need be in a democracy, and leads them to stop caring about their civic duty. Make this change. Although the consequences from this decision may be a reduction in safe seats for Labour, I argue that ignoring the party politics of safe seats will be more beneficial for the public, who you fundamentally work for. It would reduce the number of wasted votes, increase the likelihood of power-sharing coalitions and allow the Labour party to unseat the Tory reign. Uniting the other parties on the left of politics must be of critical importance for you, as it is the only conceivable way for the current government to be defeated, and for you to unite the country. You have talked to great lengths about uniting the country, prove it first by uniting those parties that will stand by your polices.
Finally, This current government have demonstrated a complete lack of ability, such as can be seen by the never-ending scandals that protrude themselves on a daily basis. They are lead by a prime minister who lacks the basic credentials and values that are needed by a leader, but nevertheless knows how to play the popularity contest of politics well. It is difficult to undermine someone who has the capacity to charm the public with speeches and slogans that although show no action, cast him in a light of someone who knows what they are doing. The circumstances of the last two years have not been kind to you, and the inexorable mountain of media support the Tory party will undoubtedly get in the next election presents another tough challenge. However, I believe that you are the person with the right credentials and mindset to lead to the country out of these turbulent times. Do not fall into the trap of the popularity contest, do not play into Johnson's populist hand. Rise above petty insults, and show the public that you are a calm and collected individual that is passionate about helping this country. Re-write the rules of party politics. I know this is no mean feat, but the benefits are too great not to try.
Unite the party, unite the left, and show the country that you want to lead it.
Josh Diebel
Josh Diebel