"we can't do it on our own, we need a progressive alliance"

No idea if anyone is reading any of these blogs - if you are I hope you are finding the interesting!

There's so much going on at the moment it's difficult to keep up. Today, Keir Starmer gave a strong performance at Prime Ministers Questions - he had Boris Johnson on the back foot about his lack of sacking of Matt Hancock and the rapid attempt to re-write history! 

I like the way Keir Starmer comes across when he's holding the government to account in Parliament. He does it very well, the PM rarely answers a question and his tendency to bluster is exposed. Anyone watching Starmer, regardless of politics, could easily imagine him as PM. That's the first hurdle to negotiate as a future potential Prime Minister. Can enough people imagine you in the job? 

I love hearing Jeremy Corbyn speak live. Like Tony Benn, JC is a great orator. I heard Tony Benn speak several times over years. I've heard JC speak at various meetings, rallies and the Durham Miners Gala. It's like a Billy Bragg concert. Uplifting and makes you feel good. You feel a fantastic sense of togetherness with the speaker and the crowd. The problem is that it's easy to speak to the converted. It's the unconverted you have to reach. JC and Labour were completely annihilated by the Conservatives at the last election. We could spend a lot of time debating 2017. I think there are lessons to be learnt from 2017 in terms of how to forge winning coalitions of voters to win certain seats. More importantly Labour needs to occupy the left and the centre of the electorate to be successful. Labour was not united enough and no doubt there were some people who undermined JC from within the party. The hostility of the right wing press is a given. The Tory election campaign was full of own goals. Despite all that the Tories didn't loose and the ground was laid for the subsequent events.

So what happened in 2019? It was the perfect storm of an effective Tory campaign based on a simplistic "Get Brexit Done" message combined with many potential Labour voters being unable to imagine JC as PM. The opposition failed to be sufficiently united and did not have a coherent message that resonated with the electorate. The second referendum strategy was rejected by the electorate. JC was leader and even if he was persuaded by others to adopt this strategy, in electoral terms it was a disaster. The Lib Dems were even worse in terms of their strategy.

Whatever you think about 2017 and 2019 - it's all about the next election now. How to win and avoid making the same mistakes.

Don't know about you, but I'm dreading the Batley and Spen bye election result. Some people are saying if Labour lose, Keir Starmer should resign. Hopefully Labour will win and we will see the progressive vote coming together to support Labour. The George Galloway circus will leave town and the array of fascists on the ballot paper will return to under their rocks. 

If Labour don't win I hope those calling for Keir Starmer to resign will think again. What Keir needs to do is deliver a Labour win at the next general election. He has to find a way of navigating through the current political quagmire and bring together a coalition of voters. He should use the result of the bye election to move this forward. If Labour lose he should say "we can't do it on our own, we need a progressive alliance". If Labour win he should say "we can't do it on our own, we need a progressive alliance". Either way he needs to say it soon and then lead it. It could be a game changer. Here's hoping.