Ɖ Gardịn vy on Lebr’z cracdǎn on fri ʈncrz: it’s bad fr ɖ parti n poḷtics
Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 3 July 2023
Ɖ muv agnst Nìl Lwsn iluṃnets a wîdr straṭji t marć Lebr evr rîtẉdz undr ɖ cuvr v big pouļīdz
Munde, 3 Jlî 2023
Ɖ Lebr parti’z dsiźn t ʈretn t xpel wn v its līdñ ʈncrz aftr 44 yirz v membrśp z a p’liticl mscalkleśn. Nìl Lwsn z ɖ d’rectr v ɖ pṛgresiv ʈnctanc Cumṗs, hu prīvịsli wrct az an advîzr t Gordn Brǎn n Pītr Mandlsn. Mr Lwsn z no leftwñr, sm v hūm r biyñ prjd bî Sr Cir Starmr on îdịlojicl grǎndz. Instd h ćampịnd ɖ libṛl tṛdiśn v p’liticl n deṃcratic plŭṛlizm n wz a prîm muvr in mcñ śr sć îdīaz gend cuṛnsi in ɖ parti. Fr hiz eḟts, Mr Lwsn z biyñ śoun ɖ dor – n ɖr r dtrmind eḟts t bundl him ʈru it.
Ɖ ćarjz v dsloylti agnst Mr Lwsn śd b dropt. Ɖe, unforćṇtli, iluṃnet a wîdr straṭji t marć Lebr evr rîtẉdz undr ɖ cuvr v big pouļīdz. Mr Lwsn’z arğmnt fr a pṛgresiv alayns – îɖr a forml páct or a tasit wn – t sev ɖ cuntri fṛm Cnsrṿtiv doṃneśn, z a gd wn. Bt Sr Cir wonts ɖ pṛgresiv tnt t b big inuf onli fr Lebr n ɖ Lib Démz, hu fes of agnst ɖ Toriz – nt ć uɖr – in olmst evri Ñgliś sīt. T dfit a comn eṇmi dz’nt nīd an xplisit páct btwn ɖz partiz ẃn ɖer votrz lendñ s’port wl d. Crūṣ́li, Sr Cir sīmñli wonts t win ʈru bland poḷsiz, n pent hiz oponnts on ɖ left – ɖ Grīnz n ɖ SNP – az īqli radicl n az bad az ɖoz t hiz rît.
Mr Lwsn’z err wz t win ɖ arğmnt in Lebr ovr pṛporśnl repriznteśn. H z rît t wont t brōdn p’liticl dbet n betr rflect votñ intnśnz. In evri postwor ilex́n xpt 2015, mor votrz s’portd sntr-left partiz ɖn sntr-rît wnz, bt Britn’z frst-past-ɖ-post ilectṛl sistm brñz mostli Tori guvnmnts. Mr Lwsn wonts t end ɖt. Hiz campen hd wún ovr Lebr parti s’portrz – n sw a mjoṛti v ɖ public s’port ćenjñ ɖ votñsistm fr ɖ frst tîm sins poulstrz bgan ascñ abt ilectṛl rform in ɖ 1980z. Muvñ t xpel Mr Lwsn bfr ɖ particonfṛns hlps privnt Sr Cir lcñ ǎt v step wɖ popylr sntimnt. Hiz poṣbl dfeṇstreśn fṛm ɖ parti cd b an aṗtîzr ofrd az a prelyd t dinr. Soft-left MPz r lîcli caźltiz in an xpctd śadocabiṇt rīśufl ɖs munʈ.
Britn’z p’liticl steṭs qo z nt wrcñ wel. Mr Lwsn’z anaḷsis abt ẃ ɖs wz ɖ ces hz cost him. Bt sins 2010 Lebr līdrz hv bn ilectd on îdīaz abt ic̣nomic n sośl rform emd at trnsformñ ɖ cuntri. Sr Cir wz no difṛnt. Upn winñ pǎr, hvr, h dićt ɖs program. Apart fṛm Ed Miḷband’z grīn ajnda, vri litl v substns hz imrjd sins. Taxñ prîṿt scūlz t fund £56m v boṇsz t cīp tīćrz in ɖ pṛfeśn z lîc pentñ a hǎs ɖt z abt t c’laps. Sr Cir tōcs abt hu h z n ẃt h îdnṭfîz wɖ, bt sz vri litl abt ɖ cōzz v ɖ preznt crîsīz ɖt nīd t b tacld. Riaḷti wl cać p wɖ huevr z in pǎr. Ol poḷtiśnz śd b an inigma, on hūm votrz pṛjct ɖer ǒn vyz. Bt ppl b’liv in ppl hu b’liv in smʈñ. Sr Cir z yt t se h b’livz in enʈñ mć bynd himslf. Ɖt z a mstec.
