Meeting held on Wed 18th February 2026 at 7.30pm
Nine people were present.
We wondered whether it was possible to be hopeful about any aspect of politics at present.
The scandal surrounding Mandelson was discussed, aware that many appeared to support his appointment at the time, even though they knew of his relationship with Epstein. Much criticism drew upon hindsight, however the scandal appeared to reflect a wider problem of misogynistic social/political culture. There were differences of view about how well Starmer had handled the issue. The influence of the think-tank Labour Together was seen to be both misogynistic and anti-democratic in its influence on Labour policy.
Under this influence Starmer, having claimed to support Labour’s economic policies as articulated by Corbynet al, on his election to Labour Leadership, then ditched them once elected. There then followed a number of Uturns, most recently concerning the plan to cancel local elections which were adversely affected by the regional reorganisation. Would the prescription of Palestine Action also be reversed, now that the High Court has ruled against its prescription?
We discussed Starmer’s support for Israel. Was his support in part because the attitude towards Israel and Palestine, within the Party, was a clear marker of left vs right political ideology? Hostility towards pro-Palestine members of the Party was therefore an aspect of general hostility towards the political left of the Party.
Starmer was also particularly unpopular amongst the left because he had done so little to a achieve economic redistribution. Was his policy of growth a necessary precondition for increasing expenditure on public services so starved by the Tories? Or did growth serve to benefit mainly the wealthy whose wealth has so rapidly expanded? The envisioned increase in defence expenditure also would not contribute towards redistribution or much increased employment.
We discussed the scandal surrounding former Prince Andrew. Was this a matter of one Royal who had acted appallingly and should be brought to justice, or was it more widely symptomatic of Monarchy which is a fundamentally corrupt aspect of our class ridden society?
A final attempt to find something to be hopeful about touched upon the inevitability of growth in renewable energy forms. It also mentioned closer links with Europe (and between European states) as a consequence of Trump’s negativity towards Europe.
The next meeting will be held on March 18th