TONY Blair is right. The Labour party are finished if all they have to offer the electorate is a culture war with the Tories.
Their lacklustre leadership campaign has been fundamentally devoid of an understanding of why Labour’s northern red wall crumbled at the election.
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Jeremy Corbyn didn’t crash to a historic defeat because he failed to tackle enough important but niche social issues like trans rights.
Rather, long-time Labour supporters simply did not believe his unrealistic promises, un-costed policies that would have bankrupted the country and refusal to offer a clear position on Brexit.
Blair is now so toxic in the Labour party that Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy have done all they can to avoid even debating his legacy, despite winning three consecutive elections.
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He concedes he’s a hate figure and isn’t stupid enough to back anyone publicly – knowing it would likely be a kiss of death to their chances of winning.
But, as Blair pointed out at an event at the King’s College in London this morning to mark the 120th anniversary of the founding of Labour, it is clear all three candidates are refusing to realise that a “fundamental reconstruction” is needed to save the once powerful political movement.
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Blair is on point with this one, but with Corbynistas dominating the party root and branch, it’s very easy to see Labour facing the prospect of waiting a generation before re-entering No 10.
That’s why the leadership debate so far has been largely dominated by side shows like Long-Bailey’s pledge to purge the party of so-called “transphobic members” and Nandy’s desire to abolish the monarchy in a referendum.
Some of Blair’s suggestions, like the need to look at a coalition with the Liberal Democrats as part of a “whole new progressive alliance”, will mortify even his more recent supporters.
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However, the ardent remoaner now concedes Labour has to give Brexit a chance to work before contemplating a position of re-joining the EU.
In essence, he says, Labour must be more moderate, less extreme and focus on the issues that really matter to working class voters.
None of the three leadership contenders – all desperate to play to a left-wing extreme base – appear to have any desire to do that.
Sitting back and hoping Boris Johnson implodes as a means to returning to power is a pipe dream.
