It is somewhat unusual to say the least for me to agree (mostly) with these similar posts on Socialist Unity and Grimmer Up North. Respective bloggers Andy Newham and Susan Press who I have crossed online swords with in the dim and distance past were unusually sharp and dismissive I thought about some of our comrades on T-h-e L-e-f-t who had turned up to the demo outside the Labour Party conference the other week and who made an absolute spectacle of themselves.I was a CLP delegate at conference and I was going to come outside and say hello to the marchers (my fellow blogging sad sectarian Dave was suppose to be there to buy me a beer) but I was late getting into Brighton, saw the heaps of placards waiting to be picked up and couldn’t be bothered so I just hurried into the conference hall. So I missed the march which inside conference to my knowledge no one even mentioned.
I have been on mainstream demos in the past were the ultra extremists have simply high jacked it and just p***d absolutely everyone else off with mindless placard sloganism, chanting, postulating and grandstanding. I suspect they really just don’t realise how much damage they do to their creditability and that of the protest they have taken over.
While I don’t generally mind that this sort of behaviour on their own marches since it keeps them as fully paid up members of the lost deposit brigade I do think that this is just another yet own goal in the wider Labour movement. Which is a genuine bloody shame.
I think that the penny is finally beginning to drop and the prospect of a possible Tory Government led by a real right wing Eton Mafiosi is beginning to wake up those who (not Andy or Susan or course) had fallen into lazy and thoughtless anti-Labourism. IMO.
If people genuinely do not want to support the Labour Party during the next few months then I can understand and while I think they are wrong that is their choice. But those who profess to hate the Tories but won’t do anything for Labour “because they are just as bad” I have nothing but scorn. There is no alternative to Labour at this time (and I hope never) so if you support anyone else but Labour or do not vote then really you should go the whole hog and just vote Tory.
