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Labour Isn't Working: A Reckoning with a Party That Left the Working Class Behind

By all means, they can wear red ties and sing “The Red Flag” at conference once a year, but don't let that fool you — the Labour Party, as it stands, is no longer the voice of working people. It's time we stopped pretending otherwise. The truth, plain and simple, is this: Labour has betrayed, sidelined, and in many cases outright attacked the very people it was formed to represent — the working class.

Let’s talk about history — not the myth, but the facts.

The First Great Betrayal: Ramsay MacDonald and the National Government (1931)

In 1931, amid the Great Depression, Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald joined forces with the Conservatives and Liberals to form a National Government. In doing so, he oversaw cuts to unemployment benefits while millions were jobless and hungry. His actions split the Labour Party and entrenched the suffering of working people.

Post-War Promises and State Suppression

The Attlee government is often praised for founding the NHS and nationalising industries, but its relationship with organised labour was far from rosy. In 1947 and 1948, when dockers went on strike, the Labour government deployed the army to break industrial action. In 1949, it banned May Day processions. Even then, the Labour state treated organised labour as a threat.

The 1970s: Wages Curbed, Workers Blamed

Under Harold Wilson and then Jim Callaghan, Labour promoted wage restraint while inflation skyrocketed. Incomes policies limited pay rises for working people, but not profits for the rich. The 1976 IMF crisis led to spending cuts and austerity that hurt the poorest. When trade unions resisted, they were vilified.

The 1978-79 "Winter of Discontent" was not a rebellion against socialism — it was a revolt against Labour’s abandonment of the people who built the country.

New Labour: Red in Logo Only

Tony Blair's New Labour government (1997-2010) embraced neoliberalism:

  • Tuition Fees Introduced (1998): Saddled working-class students with decades of debt.
  • PFI Contracts: Outsourced schools and hospitals to private firms, creating £222bn in long-term liabilities.
  • No Repeal of Anti-Union Laws: Thatcher's anti-worker legislation remained untouched.
  • Minimum Wage Introduced at a Paltry Level: £3.60/hr in 1999, not enough to live on.
  • Increased Inequality: According to the IFS, income inequality remained as high under Blair and Brown as it was in the Thatcher years.
  • War in Iraq: Over £8bn spent by the UK; hundreds of thousands dead.

New Labour didn’t reverse Thatcherism — it refined it.

Starmer's Labour: Business First, Workers Second

Keir Starmer promised unity, but has systematically abandoned left-wing pledges:

  • Scrapped Nationalisation Plans: Rail, mail, water — all abandoned.
  • Dropped £15/hr Minimum Wage Pledge.
  • Maintained the Two-Child Benefit Cap, plunging hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.
  • Refused to Stand with Strikers: MPs were instructed not to attend picket lines.
  • Considered Disability Benefit Cuts: Echoing Tory talking points.

This is not the voice of labour. It's the voice of managed decline.

Statistical Reality: Inequality and Stagnation

  • Real Wages in the UK have been stagnant since 2008. According to ONS data, median real pay in 2023 remains below 2008 levels.
  • Child Poverty: As of 2023, 4.3 million children in the UK live in poverty. Labour has failed to commit to reversing the benefit caps that contribute to this.
  • Union Membership: Fell to 23.1% in 2022 (BEIS figures) — the lowest since records began. Labour leadership has done little to strengthen collective bargaining.

What the Working Class Needs

Working-class people don’t need platitudes. We need action:

  • Public ownership of energy, water, rail.
  • Strong unions and protection for strikes.
  • Living wages, not poverty pay.
  • Investment in housing, health, and jobs.

Labour had a hundred years to prove itself. Instead, it chose the side of caution, capital and compromise. If it wants us back, it must earn it with deeds, not speeches.

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