Who killed the Labour Party?

Naming the guilty parties—and a potential saviour

by John McTernan / July 13, 2016 / Leave a comment

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband is to blame for Labour’s woes, argues John McTernan ©NEWZULU/Michael Debets/NEWZULU/PA Images

Thirty-seven people have killed the Labour Party. First, there were the 16 MPs who “lent” their votes to Jeremy Corbyn to get him on the leadership ballot paper even though they had no intention of voting for him. They have learned the hard way what even children know—that it is both stupid and wrong to facilitate behaviour that you think is harmful. They also forgot the iron law of politics: the best way to beat someone is to prevent them running. There is nothing wrong with preventing people from standing in an election—that is how political power is exercised. But maybe this is the problem. Labour has lost any sense of the need to win power.

The next 18 assassins are those members of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) who voted to put Jeremy Corbyn automatically on the ballot. They had the power to prevent him standing and they had a reason—the catastrophic collapse of confidence in him among Labour MPs. Instead they chose to guarantee him a place and thereby gift him almost certain re-election.

Of course, the NEC did not act alone and this is where the final three guilty men come in. The General Secretaries of Unite, Unison and the GMB were behind the union vote to endorse Corbyn. Dave Prentis of Unison and Tim Roache of the GMB were cowards plain and simple—they know Corbyn is unelectable and they know the cost of that to their members. The third, Unite’s Len McCluskey, has got exactly what he has always wanted: control over an ultra-left political party. It’s just that never in his wildest dreams did he think it would be as big as the Labour Party currently is.

YOU'VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don't worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we'll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we'll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

DEBUG messsage: regular

The Left road to Europe

Zoe Williams / July 13, 2018

A radical Labour government won't only be tough on Brexit, but that it will be tough on...

A new party sounds attractive—but the oddballs who start them spell trouble

Anne Perkins / August 18, 2018

New plan, old egos

Share with friends

Comments

Malcolm K
July 16, 2016 at 09:36
All this should have been said and acted upon a long time ago. It is clearly too late now and the money that Unite has to support the new order will tell for some time to come.
John B Dick
July 16, 2016 at 11:12
No, the person ultimately responsible is Harold Wilson. He appointed Joe Haines and started the fashion for parties to give up politics for PR, focus groups and presentation over substance. As for Scottish Labour, what role in its demise had John McTernan? Is there a mea culpa for the precipitous fall, or only self-justification that the SNP has 'lost' its fortuitous majority of seats (while gaining more votes) and ignoring the striking fact that Labour has fallen so low as to even fall below the anathematised Tories. The ability of SLAB to select a series of leaders each one less successful than the last has now bottomed out for it could not conceivably continue after Jim Murphy (and John McTernan's) 'Biggest party forms the government'. Voters discount what politicians say as disingenuous and exaggerated. There are two kinds of outright lies: believable lies, and unbelievable lies. The latter insults the voter's intelligence. Politicians should stick to believable lies.
Susan B.
July 16, 2016 at 12:35
An interesting article - thank you and worthy of consideration. As a loyal party member I have been horrified over many years at the antics of the left wing in our party (I imagine there may be Tories who feel much the same about the right in their own party who have caused such irreparable damage to our entire country). I cannot agree with one commentator who blames PR for presentation over substance - PR was bound to happen, it's the way of the world, but it is surely what is being said that has to be assessed rather than how. Certainly the election of Ed Miliband was disaster for our party and I fear the Unions are to blame, as is Ed for standing. To lose someone of such stature as David Miliband was plain foolish - when David spoke people from all sides of the House and throughout the country listened. He was - hopefully may be again - a Statesman, not merely a politician. We should go down on our knees and beg him to return. As a mere member of Labour I have just voted for members of the NEC - the task was pretty easy. My problem will come at the time of the leadership election: Corbyn is of the past not the future, appealing to people who think he is the man who can put social justice back into Labour values - care for the unemployed, zero hours contracts, bedroom tax ad infinitum. But we all believe in that - I cannot see Corbyn being able to lead the troops into battle with his half-hearted presentations. Moreover, as has been said by the PLP they do not feel he is the leader they need. But is Eagle the leader we need either? I stopped listening to her after about 30 seconds of her leadership contest announcement. It's similar to interviewing a job candidate - you can tell almost from the time they step through the door. So who am I going to vote for in the leadership elections: right now it's none of the above. Then I will have to decide if I remain a party member. Unless of course we ask David to come back and give him a good reason for doing so.
John A.
July 17, 2016 at 16:11
The truth of the matter is, I think, commonly disregarded. The Establishment would not allow a truly leftwing party to take hold of power. It might allow a gesture or two in the direction of socialism, e.g. a rise of 5% in the top rate of income tax, but little more.
Gavin B.
July 18, 2016 at 13:43
Maybe someone can help explain why Corbyn is unelectable. He was voted as leader by the same people who will vote for him at an election. It seems the labour MP's are totally out of touch with the views of labour supporters.
Alyson K
July 23, 2016 at 12:11
The so-called 'decent' Labour MPs are the ones who voted to bomb Syria but not accept civilians fleeing the conflict zone, and to cut incomes for poorer working families, the sick and unemployed, to raise tuition fees so that students are saddled with debt, but to spend on Trident, and to accept that families who can barely afford to share, give food to food banks to feed those who otherwise would have nothing, while the tax offices are inadequately staffed to crack down on tax avoidance. The centre has moved too far to the Right.