THE other night, I attended a Momentum event where the key speaker was a Socialist Campaign Group MP. When I was invited along by a dear friend, who is still an active Labour member, I expressed some reservations, having resigned my party membership a while ago. 

She reassured me that ex-members are welcome in Momentum now, so I went along as a non-party and non-Mometum member, primarily to reconnect with some people I had not seen since before the pandemic, but also because I was curious as to how a Labour MP would address a group of people who were not all members of the Labour Party. 

Would they get why we’d left? Would they still value our input? The answer appeared to be no on both counts. 

After the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) MP stated rather condescendingly that it was the “easy path” to leave the party — as if members like Thelma Walker who’d spent over three decades in the party hadn't agonised over their decision to leave and felt heartbroken to be even considering such a thing, or members who’d been unfairly purged even had a say in it — they did at least acknowledge it was hard being a member right now.  

However, that only added to the congratulatory back-slapping of those stalwarts who had stayed. After all, these were the only ones who got that they were part of “the struggle.”

According to this MP, the rest of us were of the same mindset as their rather pompous-sounding friend who seemed to think a sternly written resignation letter would be — and I paraphrase — “telling the Labour Party what for and making them sorry,” when in truth most of those who have left know full well that Keir Starmer gets happier and happier the fewer socialists he has to contend with. 

Except even with that annoying knowledge in our minds, we leave anyway because our personal conscience has driven us to do it; though deep down we are also hoping by leaving ourselves, a big left name will eventually join us and start a new party and wipe that smug smile from Starmer’s face.

Ah, but that’s because we are ignorant of history, chided the Labour MP. Labour has never been a socialist party, only a party with socialists in it, and had MPs like Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Benn left during the dark days of Tony Blair, we wouldn’t have gained Corbyn as leader.

Absolutely right, however it’s thanks to the Corbyn era that thousands of once loyal, dedicated Labour socialists have finally and fully realised how truly despised they are and how even when they do gain real influence, the right will go into overdrive to sabotage them.

We should have realised that after Michael Foot, who was sabotaged by the “gang of four.” But we truly get it now. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. 

And that awareness is coupled with the left having more self-belief than they had before. They know that Corbyn became leader only because the arrogant right failed to see him as a threat. And we know they will never make that mistake again.

I’m not saying Labour will never have a left leader again, but I sincerely believe it won’t happen again in my lifetime or not until the natural churn of time, alongside growing crisis and changing demographics, brings forth a whole new generation of Labour MPs. The right will never be caught off-guard again.

So like many others, I can’t continue to fund a party that despises me and would rather have a Tory government than a Labour government led by a socialist. 

I can’t be hamstrung and stay quiet to ensure I hang onto that membership. My voice is one of the few things I have left politically, and while the little mermaid at least gained some legs when she let her voice go, I’d be gaining a nervous breakdown as the weight of unexpressed opinions crushed me. All so I can stay in a party that views me as scum, and to which I feel no affinity at all.

I’m under no illusion the ex-Labour left has an easy road ahead. The Labour MP mocked the fact that a left candidate did worse than a known sex offender in a recent by-election to illustrate how hopeless it is for Labour exiles to be taken seriously electorally. 

Maybe they are right. For now. Because I’m sure that is what the Liberals said to the early trade unionists when they were setting up a Labour Party. Either that or berated them for splitting the “anti-Tory” vote.

I personally believe the left need some big-hitters to put their name to a new party to help build momentum. Not because I don’t think the grassroots can build over time, but because I don’t think we have the luxury of time due to the climate crisis, not to mention the battle for the soul of our NHS etc .

In fact, its the same reason I think the left have no time to build back within a hostile, wary, anti-democratic Labour Party.

A new insurgent left party with real clout and real credibility with big household names, some union backing, coalescing around a unifying, unashamedly populist manifesto (basically the 2017 manifesto verbatim minus reference to Brexit other than socialism can and will make it work) is the only way the left can significantly influence politics in this country in time for it to have any real and lasting impact. 

The Labour Party currently only faces an electoral threat from the right so it keeps on tacking right. Only a credible left party which truly poses an electoral threat can pull Labour, albeit reluctantly, to the left.

If that doesn’t happen, I will at least be free to hold Labour’s feet to the fire when the revolving door of electoral success inevitably comes their way again.

I want to finish by saying I actually had a really great time that evening. There was a strong sense of solidarity among ex and current members.

My friend was a bit worried about how I might have felt during the MP’s speech, which was so clearly designed to encourage people to stay, and therefore leaned towards insulting or patronising those who had taken the “easy” path and left. I was able to reassure her I expected nothing else.

I still have huge respect for many SCG MPs and know they all are sticking to this script to try to hang onto as many left members as possible.

The mass exodus of the left will have been demoralising for them. I get that, just as their unwavering loyalty to a party we now depise is demoralising to us.

The MP did in fact give a great and stirring speech to which I nodded along enthusiastically for the most part. 

Of course the SCG doesn’t want to indulge us ex-members with too much empathy or understanding in case that encourages others to leave too.

I just don’t think that’s true. I actually don’t think existing members need SCG MPs to hold them up as heroes as opposed to deluded, lazy and ignorant ex-Labour members, to be convinced to stay.

They are staying because their gut is telling them to, just as mine told me to leave after 10 years of party membership.

So my advice, for what it’s worth coming from one of those ex-member types, is for SCG MPs to find a way of encouraging members to stay if that’s what they feel driven to do, without patronising or subtly insulting people who have left.

But I don’t think my advice will be listened to. After all, I’m not respected in Labour circles any more.

The best part of the evening for me was the contribution of two local Labour left councillors. They have big and exciting plans for their area. I was stirred by their passion and determination. I hope they do well and achieve what all socialists hope to achieve — positive change for ordinary, struggling people.

They are proof that it is right that socialists should occupy every space possible, both in and out the Labour Party.

Not every socialist agrees with that. Some feel very strongly that socialists need to stop providing political cover for secret Tories. I get why they think that. I just happen to trust my fellow socialists to do what’s right for them.

I know full well that should a credible left party emerge, many Labour socialists would jump ship in a heartbeat, but until such time comes, we should exert any influence we can wherever we feel it does most good.

As I think this article makes clear, I don’t think it does much for left solidarity when fellow socialists tell each other what to do or when to do it. Expressing a preference, fine, but actually saying “you should leave, or you should stay” only divides us — and if there was one remarkable shift triggered by the Corbyn era, it was that the left stopped its infamous self-indulgent bickering and united like we had never united before.

Maybe that’s in part because we really had hope to focus on, so it should, in theory, be easy to let that unity slip away now we are living through much bleaker times. But something tells me we won’t.

I sense that solidarity, still strong. A deep, abiding bond was forged in the Corbyn years. We weathered that storm together. And while some of us are in the party and some out, some focused on trade unionism and others on community activism, there is this knowing nod we all give each other like the famous wave of solidarity motorhome owners all share. We are part of the same club. We lived through the same exciting, distressing, frustrating, inspiring time.

Yes, we are all scattered right now. Like pieces of a jigsaw that’s been broken apart. But we still feel that connection. And whatever path we’ve chosen; however we are getting through these dark times, there is this shared sense of togetherness and that makes the left stronger than its ever been before.

Maybe that is Corbyn’s true legacy?