A marker in the sand
Jamie Driscoll’s decision to stand as an independent socialist candidate for the super-mayoralty in the North East of England is a significant moment. The prevention of left, or even mildly left, members from being allowed to be considered for nomination as candidates for any level of elected office is not only an affront to internal democracy, it is also seriously damaging Labour’s ability to challenge the Tories. There has been a steadily rising number of council seats being won by people who had been expelled or resigned in disgust from the Labour Party. The North East Mayoralty is a nationally significant post and Driscoll’s decision echoes that of Ken Livingstone to stand (successfully) as an independent to be Mayor of London in 2000.
As we write, the fundraiser launched by Driscoll has raised nearly £90,000 from more than 4,100 people in less than 36 hours. This is an indication of the level of support for progressive policies. Starmer is now coming under pressure even from MPs and others who usually support him over his reversal of the commitment to end the two child limit on benefits, which leaves many parents unable to both feed and clothe their children. Driscoll’s decision to run poses a serious challenge to the Labour leadership
The most urgent thing that working class people need is to get rid of the Tories. But so many people have lost faith that once in office the current Labour Party will change their lives. This is not least because it is failing to be a serious opposition even to this most reactionary of Tory governments. Many activists are now alienated from electoral politics, putting their energy instead into key campaigns: addressing the climate catastrophe, racism, poverty and much more. For the Labour Party to enthuse people again, rather than just “not being the Tories”, then it is vital that there are policies that will improve their conditions.
A failure to do this may lead to truly dire consequences, not least the potential of the Far Right to attract those disillusioned with mainstream politics. John Harris in the Guardian voiced concerns that those on the left, within and beyond the Labour Party, have been raising for some time. He writes: “Right now, Labour is emphasising two contradictory ideas. With one voice, it tells us that we cannot go on like this; but it then changes register, and suggests that is exactly what we are going to have to do. The howling tension between the two brings to mind a celebrated quotation from the Welsh thinker and writer Raymond Williams: “To be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing.” If Starmer and his team fail that test, they will only deserve all the noise and disruption that will thereby be let loose. So far, it has to be said, the signs are not good.”
The misguided refusal of Starmer’s Labour Party to commit to spending to address poverty is a political choice; it is also a choice which is fiscally foolish since poverty costs – it costs lives, it costs quality of lives, and because of the burden it places on health and other services it even costs more money than it purports to save.
Independent campaigns for office seem to have enthused people. Coming before the General Election, they could deal a blow to the Tories and, just possibly, might persuade the Labour leadership into making those vital commitments: to address poverty and inequality, and to end austerity for individuals, families, communities and for our public services.
Below is the text of Jamie Driscoll’s letter:
Sir Keir Starmer
House of commons
London
SW1A DAA
By email
17′” July 2023
Dear Sir Keir,
it is with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I am leaving the Labour Party I will now serve the people of Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland as the
independent North of Tyne Mayor.
Given you have barred me from running as North East Mayor, despite being incumbent Mayor, i have no other choice. in 2020 you told me to my face that you would ”inspire
people to come together, disciplining people to be united is going nowhere.” You’ve broken that promise.
l joined the Labour Party in 1985 I campaigned for Neil Kinnock to become PM in 1987. I’ve campaigned in countless elections. My Mam, my brother, my wife, and my two teenage sons are all Labour Party members. There are thousands of brilliant, dedicated activists, numerous councillors, MPs and Mayors who put public service above factional positioning, many of them good friends. They do incredible work in their communities, and I pay tribute to every one of them. i am not encouraging anyone to leave the Labour Party.
You’ve U-turned on so many promises: £23 billion to tackle the climate emergency, free school meals, ending university tuitron fees, reversing NHS privatisation; in fact, a list of broken promises too long to repeat in this letter. And please stop saying ’’I make no apologies for…” before you find yourself saying ’’I make no apologies for making no
apologies”.
Britain is a mess. wages have fallen behind inflation. People are struggling to pay mortgages. Knife crime is out of control Business investment has flat lined. The climate
response is barely existent. People with chest pains wait an hour for ambulances. Our transport system is in chaos.
it is not grown-up politics to say Britain is broken, and then claim things are now so difficult we will abandon any plan to fix it. That is mental gymnastics worthy of Olympic gold. Worst of all you’ve said you’re not interested in hope and change. well, I am – Britain needs hope and change. instead of London Labour HQ barring me from running, you could have used my work as a showcase of economic competence
My combined Authority has built affordable homes in rural and urban areas. We worked with businesses large and small to deliver a pipeline or over 5,000 new jobs, all backed by our Good work Pledge implemented a Green New Deal and invested heavily in offshore renewable energy. ourchild Poverty Prevention Programme is hailed as an exemplar of best practice. And we’ve increased adult education enrolments from 22,000 a year to 33,000 a year for the same budget. All this wealth generation was done without charging people a penny in council tax.
I’ve led negotiations and delivered an expanded £4.27 billion devolution deal across the North East to transform our region’s transport system.
I’ve done this by being pragmatic and putting results ahead of party politics —to the effect that We received praise for my “constructive, nonpartisan approach” from Labour, conservative, Lib Dem, Green and independent Ministers, Mayors, MPs and councillors.
I think I’ve shown that hope and change is not only possible — but that it’s a pragmatic, common sense response to the challenges of our time. This is not a time for faint hearts, it’s a time for bravery. Shy bairns get nowt.
I didn’t become a politician until I was 42. I’m an engineer. Fixing broken systems is what I do.
We need a new settlement I value patriotism — and believe it’s expressed by public service, not xenophobia My Dad drove a tank in the army, my brother served in the navy at the time of the Falklands. My politics are simple — I believe Britain should be run in the interests of the people who do the work. That includes those unable to work, and those retired from a lifetime of work. it’s not left-wing. it’s not right-wing, it’s common sense.
The groundswell of support I’ve received has been humbling. Business leaders, trade union leaders, charity workers, huge numbers or Labour members, and elected politicians from every party have encouraged me to run as an independent, saying they will vote for me because the North East needs an autonomous voice that’s not in hock to Westminster Party HQS. They may be right
In candour,
Jamie
LL
Jamie Driscoll on an RMT picket line
This is good news for everyone who lives in north-east England. It will save us the trouble of writing in Jamie’s name on the ballot paper, as I had certainly intended to do.
As mayor he has set a fantastic example of working in the interests of the region and its population by finding ways to co-operate with people who don’t agree with him. He always shows respect to his supporters, opponents, negotiation partners and anyone he has to deal with, including Jewish community representatives. I look forward to campaigning for him.
The policy of excluding the Left is quite deliberate and intended to signal a rejection of anything even remotely concerned with the redistribution of wealth and power. It is conscious and unapologetic. It is meant to demonise and insult, alienate and undermine. It is profoundly and intentionally undemocratic. It’s meant to be.
I would vote for Jamie if I lived in the North East as my daughter does. He seems like a practical guy, an engineer who knows how to fix things and is committed to the welfare of all. He also sounds counter-factional, reaching out to and gaining respect from, people from other parties – and working with the private sector. Even senior Tories, like Simon Clarke and Nadim Zahawi, have praised him. I think we need more politicians like Jamie.
Totally disgusted and sick of the LP rejecting policies to support disadvantaged famiies and children – the very people I spent 42 years and more advocating with and for , inside the party and outside it.
I’m expelled now. If I wasn’t I would leave.
This is an inspiring letter from Jamie, even in its exposing of this misdirection of Labour currently being made. The “Labour or nothing” posturing by HQ and leadership strikes me as that similar to the 2010 hung parliament election and the leadership attitude to forming a coalition government with the LibDems. How different might the last 13 years have been if that had happened; both parties were not that far apart and we may well have seen PR voting installed that would have clipped the wings of the disastrous creature that is he Conservative Party.
I wish Jamie well in light of the misguided direction of the current Labour leadership.
I support Jamie Driscoll’s decision to stand and if I lived in the area I would have no difficulty in voting for him. However our support should not be uncritical. Starmer isn’t being dictatorial, obstructive and obnoxious because of his personality but because he represents the interests of the capitalist system within the Labour Party and their pushback against the Corbyn era.
Jamie’s letter is worrying because he seems to disavow socialist politics when he says he has ‘received praise for my “constructive, nonpartisan approach” from Labour, conservative, Lib Dem, Green and independent Ministers, Mayors, MPs and councillors.
He reiterates this when he says that ‘it’s not left-wing. it’s not right-wing, it’s common sense.’ Unfortunately capitalism is not a common sense system. It values property over people, profit over need but Jamie shows no sign of understanding that class conflict is inherent in this society.
I find particularly disturbing his statement that ‘I value patriotism’ with his reference to when his dad drove a tank in the army and his brother served in an imperialist war, the Falklands/Malvinas war.
So there are a lot of mixed messages here. Patriotism is how the ruling class traps the poor and the working class into voting against their interests by demonising one or other section of the oppressed. We should not hesitate to call this out.
Tony, I agree with you. But i need to also say that whilst I was a member of the Labour Party, I was astonished at how apolitical people were, there was nothing I would say was reflective political education. It seemed to me that sorting out who distributes what where and when was more important than debating what we did and more importantly why, the values on which all you do should be based, you at best lose your way, and at worst further enable those who really mean damage to people big style. It is both damning and scary that Mr Starmer has made the political choice on behest of his paymasters to go along with blue tory policies and leave children and their families to suffer abysmal poverty. I doubt he will take responsibility for the damage he and his ilk cause. His behaviour to me is sort of deja vu, almost a very scary repetition of past crimes against people.
Two proverbs / sayings to offer – (1) “It’s what you DO that counts”; and (2) “Fine words butter no parsnips”.
Driscoll’s trained as a (chartered?) engineer – that culture (and the Geordie culture as well) encourages focus on solving humanly important practical problems, scorns flowery language and places a high value on direct human relationships. The ethical and community values are typically strongly held and lifelong … but not often put into words.
I thought his letter carried an impact. He showed that the Left can work with the Right, win the argument and take others with you. He appears to have been successful in doing just that. I support him wholeheartedly. This cannot compare with the Left/Right issue in the Labour Party, Corbyn in my view was doing what Jamie was doing, in as much that he worked with the Right, Jamie was successful
got results and moved on. Where’s Corbyn bent over backwards to unite Left and Right, bringing Right MPs including Starmer into his Cabinet, hoping they would work together BUT they stabbed him in the back, deliberately working to stop him and his policies from being successful. That’s why Starmer and his other Rightwing MPs are Traitors to the Socialists in the Party, whereas those working with Jamie, could see, by working together on Jamie’s ideas, which looked good, they would all receive praise from the successes. Starmer and the rest of the Right, only cared about stopping Corbyn and his Socialist Policies and many of us will never forgive them.
There is nothing wrong with Capatalism or Patriotism, think Rags to Riches or the just war that defeated the Nazis
Loving your country or making profit should never be frowned upon
What we have had for the last 44 years is not Capatalism or Patriotism, its a toxic sick perversion of both
Up here in the North East we don’t know a family that doesn’t have a connection with the military or anyone that doesn’t want their bairns to succeed
I care not a jot who gives us the money, I care where it goes and JD the engineer will serve us all well
T Dan Smith sold his soul to the Devils in the early 70’s and Newcastle took a quantum leap forward, he later went to gaol for corruption and never regretted a day inside
This time the North East will take a giant leap forward