All the pearl-wringing and hand-clutching about “Labour” abandoning the 28bn. What. Did. You. Expect?

There’s acres of coverage about the Labour scrapping of its only quarter-way decent policy (the “Green Prosperity Plan.”) The right-wingers are rolling out the “flipflop”/”stand for nothing line” (echoed by sentient lefties too). There’s good “what might it mean medium-term?” (nothing good) stuff from the likes of Monbiot and Andy Beckett.

And then there’s rather a lot of pearl-clutching, handwringing and gnashing of teeth by people who were proper knives-out, studs-and-all when there WAS a strong-ish Labour proposal, all those years ago (2019). Reminds me of the Frederick Douglas line –

Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

As per Leon Rosselson, these are people who sing the red flag once a year…

The cloth cap and the working class, as images are dated.
For we are Labour’s avante-garde, and we were educated.
By tax adjustments we have planned to institute the Promised Land
And just to show we’re still sincere, we sing The Red Flag once a year.

Firm principles and policies are open to objections;
And a streamlined party image is the way to win elections.
So raise the umbrella high, the bowler hat, the college tie
We’ll stand united, raise a cheer. And sing The Red Flag once a year.

It’s one step forward, one step back. Our dance is devilish daring
A leftward shuffle, a rightward tack, then pause to take our bearings.
We’ll reform the country bit by bit, so nobody will notice it
Then ever after, never fear, we’ll sing The Red Flag once a year.

We will not cease from mental fight till every wrong is righted,
And all men are equal quite, and all our leaders knighted.
For we are sure if we persist to make the New Year’s Honours list.
Then every loyal labour peer will sing The Red Flag once a Year.

So vote for us, and not for them, we’re just as true to NATO,

I mean, they’re not HIDING themselves, are they? Catch this profile of Pat McFadden by Pippa Crerar last September.

You just want to shake these “commentators” who think that we should have the Nice Things but don’t want to rock any boats or make any waves and ask them either “happy now?” or “What did you EXPECT, YOU FOOL?”

And here we are. The ocean temperatures are going steadily up. There are some pretty graphs. Gonna be an interesting year.