Manifesto review – Corbyn’s campaigners keep calm and carry on in Labour election film
Peter Bradshaw
2 min read
Manifesto review – Corbyn’s campaigners keep calm and carry on in Labour election film
With periodic readings from Robert Tressell’s classic text The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, documentary maker Daniel Draper gives us a downbeat, sombre film about socialist Merseyside activists and their gruelling experience campaigning for Labour in the 2019 general election – a film which leaves open the question of what exactly they have learned and what exactly they would do differently the next time. Maybe nothing. Maybe the point is that you stick to your guns and keep the pressure on.
The film shows party workers having meetings, reaffirming their faith in Jeremy Corbyn, knocking on doors and speaking to people who agree with them (except for one cantankerous old guy who is a Brexiter). I laughed when a woman was interviewed about her sweet necklace which turned out to read, in discreet decorative lettering: “Fuck the Tories”. The subject of antisemitism is aired and curtly dismissed as entirely irrelevant: “Just a few cases.” (Numerically, yes, maybe – but when those few cases include the people in charge, you’ve got a problem.)
On the big night itself, Draper’s camera shows that parliamentary victory for Dan Carden for Liverpool Walton and Ian Byrne for Liverpool West Derby causes not euphoria but exhaustion, etched on these men’s faces. The news about Boris Johnson’s victory has sunk in. Then there is frustration with the pandemic, the lockdown and the election of Keir Starmer as Labour leader, which in this film is passed over in relative silence, as just another queasy disappointment.
Watching the film now, it is impossible not to feel sympathy. The pure dishonesty and incompetence of the Johnson years has to some degree proved the activists’ point. Starmer may be a dull and passionless leader, whose keep-wounded-Boris-in-power approach is uninspiring and risky. But in the end, when you hear angry, defiant party workers saying that the fight goes on and you can’t be squeamish about the struggle … what does that mean? In the end, it means swallowing your pride, biting your tongue and getting behind Starmer, the way Starmer bit his tongue and got behind Corbyn. Because politics is a brutal business.
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline,A WOMAN has been mocked after sharing the summer dress she was considering wearing to nuptials. Attending someone’s big day can be just as stressful as organising the wedding ceremony –… -
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’,ACTOR Carl Weathers has died at 76. Weathers, whose career spanned film and television, action and comedy, is best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise, as well as his performa… -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
The Best Hi-Fi to Spend Your Tax Refund On: 2024 Gift Guide
The Best Hi-Fi to Spend Your Tax Refund On: 2024 Gift Guide,Wondering how to spend your tax refund to maximize your musical enjoyment? Here are some best-in-class ways to upgrade your lifestyle. -
Apple seeds fourth developer beta for iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6
Apple seeds fourth developer beta for iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6,Following the availability of the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 betas, Apple has now launched the fourth developer betas for iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
Tharman, Ng Kok Song and Tan Kin Lian qualify to run for S’pore presidential elections
S’pore job market: Demand for AI skills jumps 5x in 4 months, but you need one more than others
Sony’s New ULT Speakers and Headphones Bring Big Bottomed Bass
ATC’s New SCM20ASL Limited Edition Loudspeakers Make Us Blue With Envy: AXPONA 2024
