They vilify decent people with slurs
Thursday, 5th August 2021
• MARTIN Plaut indulges in a commonly used slur “hard left” when attacking left of the Labour Party – the left still make up a sizeable part of membership, (The left-right battle in the Labour Party has history, July 29).
I have to ask is it possible to have a hard left but no hard right? Everything has edges!
He uses the tired old Militant link, from a bygone era, a scare tactic often deployed to vilify and frame the left and working classes as dangerous and worse.
I write as a Labour member all too familiar with right factions in the party throwing derogatory stereotypes and generalisations at democratic socialists.
Many of us are from working-class backgrounds and truly representative of ethnic minorities in Camden’s diverse communities. We are doctors, nurses, teachers, support staff, youth workers, transport and retail workers, pensioners and Covid volunteers: this is fact not an assumption.
You saw us all on your doorsteps across Camden at the height of Corbyn’s leadership 2017 general election, when we literally painted the borough red, gave Tulip (her seat then a marginal) and Keir huge majorities.
No one could have escaped the inordinate amount of young people who enthusiastically participated – not a usual sight in politics!
Quite frankly the right factions appear appalled and embarrassed by their core base and voters. Why?
In 2017 Labour lost by just over 2,000 votes nationwide despite constant negative press and proven sabotage from right factions.
The so-called “hard left” you all know as we live amongst you; we are your family, friends, children, partners, colleagues, volunteers in food banks and community orgs.
When branded “hard left” they must mean people who are anti-austerity, keeping NHS public, anti-war, for good education, homes and social care, internationalists, environmentalists and anti-racist.
Much of the public know of the incessant campaign to destroy Corbyn’s Labour as they live in the real world; many personally know the so-called “hard left” as reasonable caring good citizens and people to be proud of.
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