An effective new leftwing party is one of the recurring dreams – or nightmares – of British politics. Many have tried and failed to create one that wins and then holds a significant number of seats in parliament. Labour, founded 125 years ago, has been the only successful example. Others have been defeated by the electoral system, the sheer number of interests ranged against the left, loyalty to Labour and the left’s tendency to over-promise and quarrel.
Could Zarah Sultana’s sudden announcement last night that she “will co-lead the founding of a new party” with Jeremy Corbyn and other “independent MP’s… and activists across the country” – a statement that he did not acknowledge until lunchtime today – finally begin to change the rigid shape of British left-of-centre politics? And would that help the left – or help destroy it?
