As political ideas go, socialism is pretty dreadful, but compared with the alternative it has many good qualities. If we were to believe Margaret Thatcher, there is no such thing as ‘society’. Fortunately there are a bunch of people who recognise that communities pulling together for their common good fit that description perfectly.
Labels do not necessarily help to describe political philosophies. Left wing, communist, Maoist, Leninist, Stalinist give a fleeting impression of what those terms are all about. The Labour Party in the UK has a membership that no doubt includes people who fit some of those labels, but a Stalinist Labour Party is never going to be elected.
Keir Starmer has to steady a ship that can lean to the left and the right. The middle course wins elections. Having got the power that a large majority gives him in the House of Commons, the impetus must be directed at persuading the party and his cabinet that his intended policies are the right ones.
odespinner 