When the last election came around, many on the socialist end of the political spectrum couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Keir Starmer. They saw him as a compromise too far, a man who had already edged away from the transformative politics they wanted. I understood that view but I still chose differently.

Voting for Sensible Action

I voted Labour under Starmer not because I thought he was perfect, but because I believed he would improve politics, do the right thing by people, and begin the long process of clearing up the chaos Johnson and then Truss left behind. Politics is rarely about getting the perfect, idealised world in your head. It’s about settling for what’s best on offer at the time. For me, that was Keir Starmer’s Labour.

What I didn’t realise back then was just how closely Starmer would align himself with Israel, a state that is carrying out a campaign in Gaza so brutal it would make the architects of apartheid South Africa blush. To watch Labour’s leadership stand so firmly with such actions is more than disappointing, it is morally indefensible.

The Ghost of Mandleson

Then there’s the re-emergence of Peter Mandelson. To describe Mandelson as merely “controversial” is like describing arsenic as “a bit tangy.” The man is politics’ very own Nosferatu, lurking in the shadows, whispering strategies into leaders’ ears, and draining parties of life while insisting he’s only here to help. If Mandelson is once again back in the room, then you really do have to ask: what sort of party is Starmer running, and why on earth does he think it’s wise to summon someone whose political career has more comebacks than Count Dracula?

Add to that Starmer’s ongoing attempts to pacify the far-right (a futile task if ever there was one) and the cracks widen further. The far-right aren’t going to be appeased. They thrive on division, resentment and fear. Offering them concessions is like trying to reason with a wasp at a picnic: it doesn’t end well, and you lose your sandwich.

The Danger of Splinter Groups

The truly dangerous problem with all this is what happens when disillusionment deepens. When factions and splinter groups peel away from the mainstream, the electoral maths becomes perilous. Suddenly, nutters can seize power on as little as 25% of the vote. And that’s the nightmare: we voted for stability, for grown-up politics, and instead we could end up with a government like Israel, stitched together by extremists, all because Starmer thought the best way forward was to hold hands with the ghost of Mandelson and toss scraps to the far-right.

He has to do better, and quickly, or we will find ourselves dragged into fascism quicker than you can say Krystallnacht.