Something for the weekend

The weekend is generally a quiet time for politics, with elected representatives being back in their constituencies, but this one is different.

Firstly, we have just had the announcement of Lucy Powell's victory in the contest for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party. Secondly, in the election for the Presidency of Ireland, leftwing Independent candidate, Catherine Connolly, has been declared the winner. Finally, Thursday's shock victory of Plaid Cymru's candidate, Lindsay Whittle, in the Caerphilly by-election for the Senedd is being digested by Welsh Labour, who had been unchallenged there for a century.

These three very different electoral outcomes tell an interesting story of the emergence of a potential shift in political momentum in the United Kingdom and Ireland, not perhaps seismic (yet) but significant nonetheless. Coupled with Zack Polanski's recent election as Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and the announcement of the long-awaited launch of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's Your Party, the political landscape is being reimagined, and with a discernibly anti-status quo bent, chiefly leftwards.

Nigel Farage's rightwing Reform UK party is, of course, the elephant in the room in this discussion and I'm reluctant to give it much space here. However, whilst clearly being very far from irrelevant, Reform's recent dominance is already being challenged by the emergence of a strong leftwing alternative. This is timely given Labour's direction under Keir Starmer's leadership which, in Lucy Powell's critique, is one of trying to "out-Reform Reform". She has made clear she feels this strategy won't work and many, within and without her party, will agree.

With a little under four years to go until the next general election (barring a major upset for Labour) and Reform already showing signs of floundering in the running of those authorities it gained in the last round of local elections, it may yet prove to be a busted flush when it comes to the national poll. It is, though, quite likely to do well in next year's local, regional and mayoral elections but that still leaves them plenty of scope to mess up further. The Labour government will do little to help, and maybe much to hinder, their progress but we can't rely on Starmer's ineffectual leadership to derail the Reform agenda. The best way to counter Reform's xenophobic siren call to a disenchanted demographic is to offer a clear, cogent, inspiring leftwing alternative vision. Dyed-in-the-wool right-wingers may remain unconvinced but engaging the agnostic and apathetic, whilst re-engaging the demoralised left and centre, could be enough to tip the balance against impending fascism.

We should use the weekend to contemplate an alternative.

Update: For good measure, we might look across the pond for another weekend fillip for the left. The House of Representatives' Minority Leader, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, is finally set to endorse leftwing nominee, Zohran Mamdani, for New York City Mayor today, according to those in the know.

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