In their Starmer Love-ins By AJ Byrne

Polly Toynbee at her desk in the Guardian offices, London Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian.
 

Polly Toynbee follows up on Mick Lynch’s pitch towards the aristocracy of labour in the Guardian of September 5, Do believe the hype – but not the toxic press. She was full-on in leading the Guardian witchhunt of Jeremy Corbyn.

In her Guardian article on 13. December 2019, Devoid of agility, charisma and credibility, Corbyn has led Labour into the abyss she writes, “yes, the manifesto was magnificent. But Corbyn “has allowed his party to be riven by sectarianism, antisemitism and Brexit” because he did not fight strongly enough against Brexit:

“Yet his legacy is of historic importance: he did this country profound, nation-splitting, irreparable harm… But antisemitism was the accusation he could not shift. I am certain he sees no stain of it in himself, refusing to comprehend it, and so could not apologise. Failure to purge every case left candidates on the doorstep dumbstruck when anyone said “I can’t vote for an antisemite” … Toe-curlingly bad performers and insignificants were punted up as loyalists, while serious heavyweights Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry might as well have been shut in Johnson’s freezer. Even John McDonnell, better by far than Corbyn, was largely kept from the cameras.”

There you have it, a magnificent manifesto but Starmer, Thornberry and “even John McDonnell” were far better than this excuse for a politician. And then move on to her Guardian thoughts on 15 February 2023 and Corby’s suspension for speaking the obvious truth that anti-semetism was uses as a weapon against the Labour party:

“His refusal to accept the overall findings set Corbyn on an inevitable path out of the parliamentary Labour party. He maintains “The scale of the problem was dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.” But a party can’t be a little bit racist: the damning findings had to be swallowed whole.”

And poor Starmer had to do it:

“Keir Starmer’s confirmation today that Corbyn cannot stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election is hardly surprising. Cleansing the party of antisemitism is deeply personal for Starmer, as his wife is Jewish and they keep Jewish festivals. But Corbyn’s obstinacy was convenient, too, his expulsion an opportunity to demonstrate Starmer’s mission to get a grip on the party” (not to mention that he supports “Zionist without qualification”).

Now to her article on 5 September 2024. The online heading is different, The anti-Labour rightwing press is on the warpath. If you wanted this government, defend it. Here she defends all the great things Starmer has done for us:

“The honeymoon for Labour is over, say the massed ranks of the rightwing media. What honeymoon was that? It seems to have been over since 5 July…Relentless onslaughts cause slippage in the polls, and Labour support was always fragile with a low turnout win on just 34%… Keeping up their spirits, they recall that even with her press claque, Thatcher was phenomenally unpopular in her first years – and six times more voters still expect Labour to win the next election than to lose.”

That was as a result of a surge in rightwing empire nationalism due to the Falklands/Malvinas war, she forgot to tell us.

“What Labour notably lacks is enough wholehearted backers for policies that deserve more cheerleaders: on green power, GB Energy, ending North Sea oil, investing in renewables – defenders should speak louder. The TUC congress should cheer for the most radical pro-worker, pro-union programme in decades.”

Well don’t worry about the, “Means-testing the winter fuel allowance” it “was unpopular, though it is right to take it from well-off pensioners (and essential pension credit reaches all non-claimers.) Where are reminders that the far more generous triple-lock this year delivered £900 a pensioner, destined to keep on rising?”

And the two-child benefit cap? Don’t worry, “Rekindling Labour’s pledge to abolish child poverty, expect the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped… “that (abolishing it!!) won’t be popular either. Public opinion is 60% against, including 50% of Labour voters”.

Starmer must “hold steady, keep their nerve, ignore the flak, do what must be done. Trust voters to sense these serious people know what they’re doing, and eventually things will get better.”

Published in the same spot as Mick Lynch’s piece both these love ins do not mention the wars in Ukraine or Gaza (that would be antisemitc, right, Polly?) and not offending Starmer’s Jewish wife is far more important than the upwards of 400,000 dead Palestinians since October 7 for the labour aristocrat Lynch and liberal-reactionary Toynbee. ▲