Lebr mst b bold n strîc ɖ cilrblo – or ɖ Tōriz wl rîz agn
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 9 October 2022)
A rer oṗtyṇti hz imrjd t pin ǎr mni crîsīz nt jst on ɖ Cnsrṿtiv parti, bt ɖ intîr cnsrṿtiv îdioḷji
Nesrīn Malic, Súnde 9 Octobr 2022
Fîṇli, an ax́n-páct episod v Britiś poḷtics hz drwn t a cloz. It startd rufli at ɖ tîm v Riśi Sŭnac n Sajid Javid’z reẓgneśnz in rli Jlî, foloud bî Boris Jonsn’z reẓgneśn, a Tori līdrśp rês, a ny prîm̦inistr, a sêizmic minibujit, strlñ tancñ, a confidnt pformns bî ɖ Lebr parti n inevitbli a guvnmnt U-trn. Ɖ ǎtcm hz bn a dṛmatic śift in ɖ poulz twd Lebr. It wl b tū yirz bfr Brítnz cn xpres ɖer vyz in a jenṛl ilex́n, so a qsćn hañz in ɖ er – ẃt nǎ?
In ɖ îz v pṛgresivz ɖ ansr z clir: Lebr winz, v cors, n ɖ Tōriz hed intu cold xîl. Xpcteśn hz morft intu fact n nǎ okpîz ɖ spes btwn ɖ preznt n fyćr. Bt f a wīc z a loñ tîm in poḷtics, ɖen tū yirz z sevṛl lîftîmz. Ɖr z a risc ɖt, in ɖs momnt v oṗtyṇti, Lebr misz ǎt on mcñ ɖ sort v sstemic ćalinj ɖt cd, ɖt śd, snd ɖs c’lamiṭs Tori parti intu oblivịn, n nt mirli intu a cornr t rīgrūp.
Ɖr r hints ɖt ɖ Lebr parti z bginñ t riylîz ɖt it cn no longr cǎnt intîrli on biyñ popylr bî dfōlt. Ɖt ɖr nīdz t b an oḟrñ nt jst fr ɖoz sic v ɖ Tōriz bt olso ɖoz trnd of bî ɖ lac v śarp, mīnñfl contrast btwn ɖ tū. Īvn sm v ɖ most dis’fctd n ełnetd membrz fṛm ɖ left v ɖ parti I spouc t aftr ɖ Lebr confṛns sīmd xîtd n hartnd bî ɖ ny poḷsiz pṛpozd, ptiklrli ɖt v a Gret Britiś Eṇji cumṗni ǒnd bî ɖ public. Bt ɖs z stl nt inuf v a ny viźn t capćr ɖ neśn’z c’lectiv imaɉneśn. N ɖt z bcz ɖr hz nt bn inuf v a rec̣nñ wɖ ɖ oṛjin v ɖ dzastrz ɖt hv bfōḷn ɖ cuntri ovr ɖ past ʈri decedz – v ẃć Brexit n ɖ cuntri’z unpriperidnis fr Covid r nt eṗsodz, bt simtmz.
Ɖ parti’z straṭji z t fix ẃt ɖ Tōriz hv run dǎn, bt axpt ɖ arenjmnts n prizrv ɖ infṛstrucćr in ẃć ɖt dclîn hz ocŕd. It z a badli tîmd tmidti; in riaḷti, ẃt z nīdd z ɖ ijx́n v ɖ prîṿt sectr intîrli fṛm eni relm ɖt pṛvîdz besic nīdz sć az śltr, cer fr oldr ppl, ɖ eṇji w nīd t cīp worm n cc ǎr fūd. Nt, az Lebr’z depyti līdr, Anɉla Rênr, pṛpozd, mirli mcñ śr ɖt public contracts r wel x’ktd, az f ɖ Lebr parti wr pićñ itslf az a betr srvispṛvîdr t a Britiś sitizn hu z abv ol els a custmr.
Ɖ parti foc̣sz, telñli, on xpandñ hom ǒnrśp rɖr ɖn sośl hǎzñ. Ɖ neśn z a marcitples, wn ɖt Lebr wl fines t betr srv its claynt, ɖ dzrvñ “wrcñ ppl” – a caṭgri ɖt z xcluźnri at bst, n sinistr at wrst: pśñ ǎt ɖoz hu wrc unpeid or r unebl t wrc dy t sicnis, cẹrñ or ej. Lebr’z targit z a clas ɖt z wɖn snifñdistns v a morgij, wɖ a reğlr incm, rɖr ɖn ɖoz in gig implômnt, or lîfloñ prîṿt n sośl hǎzñ rentrz. A d’rect lîn lincs ɖs priceriat t Starmr’z strongist rīsnt ʈīm – ɖt v a rić huz wlʈ ɖ Tōriz r akzd v pṛtctñ. Agn, Lebr hz míst a tric; ɖ qsćn òt nt t b hǎ t tax ɖm aproprịtli, bt ẃ ɖe wr ebl t akḿlet so mć wlʈ.
On iṃgreśn n culćr, ɖ parti’z top lînz n poḷsi lc nt onli lîc bad poḷtics, bt olso pur straṭji. F yr criṭsizm v Tori iṃgreśnpoḷsi z ɖt it z nt dportñ ppl ifiśntli inuf, az ɖ śadoćanslr, Rećl Rīvz, argyd last wīc, ɖen ɖ rît wl ʈanc y fr prîmñ votrz fr ɖer evr-mor pôzṇs n pyṇtiv poḷsiz. F yr petrịtizm z gwñ t b xclūsiv n yoct t Britn’z insttyśnz v oʈoṛti n lw n ordr – ɖ armd forsz, ɖ p’līs, ɖ royl faṃli – ɖ picćr v ɖt cuntri z olwz gwñ t b pentd mor vividli bî ɖ rît.
Cnvnśnl sntrgrǎnd wizdm z ɖt mcñ tù mni îdịlojicl muvz wl scer votrz huz unḍstandñ v poḷsi z mīdietd mnli ʈru a rîtwñ pres. Betr t brñ ɖm alñ jntli n ɖen tec of ɖ masc ẃn in pǎr. Yt wer ɖ masc fr loñ inuf n it īts intu ɖ fes.
Ɖ ǎtcm z a parti cnstrictd in ɖ oltrṇtivz it cn pṛvîd. Ɖ riyl risc z felñ t imbarc on an ic̣nomic n culćṛl rīśepñ v ɖ cuntri ẃn ɖ grǎnd z frtîl. Ɖ steṭs qo, az dfndd bî ɖoz wɖ a vstd inṭrest in it, z simpli nt wrcñ. Ɖ YC nīdz t b gîdd awe nt jst fṛm ɖ rît, bt fṛm its unḍraitrz; fṛm ɖ s’preṃsi v capitl n ɖ s’preṃsi v ɖ netiv, ɖrfr enśurñ ɖt ɖ Cnsrṿtivz r no longr ɖ parti ɖt bst rflects ɖ cuntri. Ɖt involvz an antagnizm wɖ ɖ Siti, ɖ pres n, yes, wɖ parts v ɖ ilectṛt.
Ɖ denjr z nt in dwñ tù mć, bt dwñ tù litl. T yz a frêz ɖt ɖ ny parti v fiscl rsponsbiḷti śd aprīśiet, ɖ Lebr parti z līvñ muni on ɖ tebl. Ɖ sort v spnteńs grasrūts orġnîzñ w hv sìn arnd ɖ cost v livñ, Covid n refyjī crîsīz śoz a neśn ɖt ǎtṗformz its p’liticl ǎtcumz.
Ɖr z a votrcọliśn ɖt cn b crietd, nt mirli totd p fṛm swñvotrz n ɖ rtrn v ɖ “red wōl”, bt v a dispṛt numbr v grūps n ejz arnd nośnz v soḷdaṛti n incluźn. Ɖs cọliśn wd mc p a mjoṛti, az larj n az galṿnîzd az ɖoz hu votd fr Brexit popylizm. “Ɖ prinsipl probḷm wɖ ɖ nośn v ilectbiḷti”, ɖ formr Gardịn coḷmnist Gari Yúñ wns obzrvd, z ɖt it “sjsts ɖ we ppl si ɖ wrld at eni gvn momnt canot b ćenjd ʈru arğmnt n actvizm n instd irects bordrz fr ẃt z pmisbl dscuśn.”
Az loñ az w ste wɖn ɖoz bordrz, darcnis lrcs, no matr ɖ poulz. I c’nt hlp bt ʈnc v ɖ film Fōḷn, in ẃć a fōḷn enjl pzesz ɖ bodiz v hymnz, muvñ ʈru ɖm t rīc haṿc on Rʈ. Confidnt in ɖ pǎr v its imortaḷti, ɖ spirit tōnts hymnz trayñ t vanqiś it bî sññ ɖ cōṛs t an Irma Toṃs soñ: “Tîm z on mî sîd, yes it z.” Ɖ forsz v ɖ Tori rît cn rzîd in ɖ bodi v Lebr, cn īvn drw eṇji fṛm it, unls ɖe r rjctd intîrli. Untl ɖen, tîm z on ɖer sîd, yes it z.
