Labour Traitors - Reid, Blunkett, Straw, Cruddas and Abbot

A new strategic betrayal 

We could have had a progressive coalition. We could have shared a rainbow coalition with the Greens. We could have had a truly national government with representatives from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Together with the Lib Dems we could have had proportional representation.

Never in my life did I ever imagine that I could see Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell as heroes. But that's what they were. Shockingly, they did the right thing. They went balls out to broker a coalition agreement, while others sabotaged it for personal ambition or out of a desire for revenge. The least democratically inclined, most backward in Labour came out against proportional representation.

Unsurprisingly, three of the most authoritarian and anti-democratic former Home Secretaries in living memory scuppered the Lib Lab agreement:  David Blunkett, Jack Straw and John Reid.

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Shockingly, Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell did the right thing. They went balls out to broker a coalition agreement, while others sabotaged it for personal ambition or out of a desire for revenge.
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A forensic linguist would have a field day with what Reid and Blunkett said. Reid was chatting about wreaking revenge on the Labour Party. Blunkett was talking about Harlots wandering Westminster's corridors. Who was wreaking revenge Reid? Tell us some more about these harlots you despise, Blunkett. Your zips are undone, by the way.

The Tories didn't destroy hope for a progressive coalition. The Blairites didn't destroy that hope. The SNP didn't destroy that hope.

While principled left wingers like Tony Benn were in favour of a Lib-Lab coalition, The faux left, Diane Abbott and Jon Cruddas, thinking they were playing a very clever game, allied themselves with the rogue elephants of the thuggish right of the Labour party.

Tell that to my brother and his friends who voted Liberal Democrat to send a message of protest to Labour for its right wing politics, only to discover yesterday afternoon that they had effectively voted Tory because Diane Abbott and Jon Cruddas helped destroy a Lib Lab pact. Don't think we'll forget.

The Scottish Labour tribalists concurred with thses traitors and then the rest, noses twitching in the wind, quickly followed - Andy Burnham throwing his cap in the ring.

The right-left Labour alliance hopes that the ensuing job loses and the suffering of the British people will help bring old Labour back. The right-left Labour alliance is a bet against the British people and their sabotage of a Lib-Lab pact will be at the expense of the British people. Simon Hughes apportions the blame accurately. These elements of Labour sabotaged a deal.

We must sacrifice our jobs and our families welfare now so that old Labour can regroup and reap the fruits of the anger and disaffection that the Tories sow. Except for one thing. The right left Labour alliance helped bring Cameron to power, and we should remember this strategic betrayal.

 I remember what I regard to be the key strategic betrayal made by Joan Lester and Neil Kinnock in the deputy leadership elections in 1981 when the pair of them voted Dennis Healey in instead of Tony Benn. Everything followed from that moment. Rightly, Neil Kinnock saw Blair as his heir. Blairism was the illegitimate child of Kinnock's betrayal. It's oversimplifying, but New Labour was the result of that betrayal.

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While principled left wingers like Tony Benn were in favour of a Lib Lab coalition, the faux left, Diane Abbott and Jon Cruddas, thinking they were playing a very clever game, allied themselves with the rogue elephants of the thuggish right of the Labour party.
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But when £6 billion pounds are being sliced off the education budget, and when teachers and other public sector workers are losing their jobs thanks to the bankers' profligacy, and when the Tories are making us pay for this profligacy in spades, then we should remember this moment and thank our new set of traitors.

Do they honestly think that we will look back at this moment and blame the Tories or the Liberal Democrats? Labour had the opportunity to lead a coalition and to lead the country to a new fairer electoral system where everyone on the left and right would be represented.

They chose instead to go into opposition and let the establishment reassert itself in the hope that the Tories will look bad as a result of deficit reduction measures, in the fond expectation that Labour will be back in four years. We'll see.

But we will not blame the Tories or the Liberal Democrats, we will blame them instead! The alliance between the old Labour hard right in the form of Edd Balls, John Reid, David Blunkett, and Douglas Alexander and Labour pseudo left; represented by Cruddas and Abott will be remembered for a long long time.

For the sake of their scheming, they have destroyed the opportunity to change the electoral system in Britain and to make it actually represent the voting intentions of the people of Britain.

As Polly Toynbee said today, this day does not mark the first day of Labour's renewal in opposition. It marks their Dunkirk. The Blairites, traditionalists and faux leftists have crossed blades. Let's close the curtains while they make mincemeat of each other. At the end of the process they will need someone electable, anyway. This probably means one of the slightly dotty Milibands will end up as leader's of the opposition. BFD. That's no "renewal."



By Phil Hall