Post by Old Badger on Apr 4, 2020 22:01:00 GMT -5
*whew!* After five years of Jeremy Corbyn's ultra-left leadership, that ended with the worst defeat in more than 80 years, the Labour Party picked one of its brightest stars, Sir. Keir Starmer, as its new leader. If you watched the Brexit debates from the House of Commons over the past couple of years you saw Starmer as the Opposition's Shadow Brexit Secretary knifing through the Tories' weak arguments in favor of leaving the EU. He always had the facts at hand, was sharp and concise in argument, and exhibited the leadership qualities that Corbyn--a career back-bencher--lacked. In a vote of more than 400,000 party members he won easily with 56 percent, defeating the Corbynite candidate by 2-to-1. While to the left of Tony Blair, Starmer is not a hard-liner, and while supporting elements of the 2019 party manifesto that opinion polls showed were popular ("free Internet, improving troubled rail service, more money for schools and senior citizens and a sweeping Green New Deal to slow climate change) is committed to addressing one of the party's most serious internal issues, as well as the broader problems confronting the party:
Under Corbyn, Labour also struggled with anti-Semitism in its ranks, with vulgar posts and taunts against Jews. “Anti-Semitism has been a stain on our party,” Starmer said. “And I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us.” On Saturday, in his video message, Starmer said Labour was the political movement that had created the National Health Service and the welfare state, which built hospitals and schools, protected minorities, opened up the universities and brought peace to Northern Ireland. “But we’ve just lost four elections in a row. We’re failing in our historic purpose,” Starmer conceded. “Be in no doubt I understand the scale of the task, the gravity of the position that we’re in. We’ve got a mountain to climb.” WP articleIndeed they do. Good luck to Starmer; he has up to five years to get ready for the next election.
Under Corbyn, Labour also struggled with anti-Semitism in its ranks, with vulgar posts and taunts against Jews. “Anti-Semitism has been a stain on our party,” Starmer said. “And I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us.” On Saturday, in his video message, Starmer said Labour was the political movement that had created the National Health Service and the welfare state, which built hospitals and schools, protected minorities, opened up the universities and brought peace to Northern Ireland. “But we’ve just lost four elections in a row. We’re failing in our historic purpose,” Starmer conceded. “Be in no doubt I understand the scale of the task, the gravity of the position that we’re in. We’ve got a mountain to climb.” WP article
