@OwenJones84 come back after you've won a few general elections and start lecturing about winning. Enjoy your evening
— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) September 12, 2015
This, in general, seems to be the strategy of Labour's hard right: repeating, mantra-like and with an air of genuine incomprehension, "but, but.. we won in 1997". A problem with this approach is that 1997 was a long time ago. Campbell and his soundalikes are really the political equivalent of someone who insists that we recognise that Genesis' Nursery Crimes was a pretty good album, without even pausing to acknowledge the subsequent attrocities of Phil Collins' solo career.Other prime examples of the throwing-the-toys-out-of the pram genre were forthcoming today from Dan Hodges here and the New Statesperson here. The latter is notable for its attempt to claim the mantle of feminism for its opposition to the only leadership candidate to have voted against benefit cuts which disproportionately affect women, and who secured the votes of 61% of women who voted. One notes in passing that the NS's commitment to the political representation of non-white non-men wasn't quite fervent enough to get the organ's weight behind Diane Abbott's mayoral campaign.
But, enough. It is not only a good day because lots of really terrible human beings are upset. We also have a leader of the Labour Party who can make speeches that don't make me cringe:
And does stuff like support refugees:
I wrote after the general election about my dislike of the slogan "don't mourn organise". The converse, "don't celebrate, organise" is no better. Tonight we celebrate. In the days, weeks, and months ahead the issues I wrote about then - not least the neo-liberal hegemony which still has an absolutely stranglehold over British society - will need thought and action. There are fights ahead, within and beyond the Labour Party; there is a battle of ideas to be won. But tonight, I'll end by saying that this is the best day in my political memory. We won.
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