Whoever wins the battle to be the party’s general secretary,it’s what happens next that’s more importantThe ongoing struggle to be Labour’s general secretary is a sign of just how hegemonic the party’s left has become. This might sound like an odd reading: the contest between Unite’s Jennie Formby and Momentums Jon Lansman has shown worrying flashes of acrimony, both on Twitter and in certain anonymous briefings that have dispirited figures on both sides.
To an external observer, or a struggle between Unite and Momentum – both of which have played instrumental roles in the rise of Britain’s radical left – might seem to have a hint of the Peoples Front of Judea about it. But it is a note of the left’s sense of political security that different factions can attempt to assert themselves over one another,because it no longer fears a recapture of the party by the apt. Whoever wins, the genuine question is: can Labour become a members-led democratised mass movement?Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk