Starmer didn't kill Labour...

.... It was already dead

 That might seem hyperbolic, but let me explain.
 
I didn't grow up in a political household at all, in fact the only political comment I can recall from my childhood, was leading up to the 1997 general election. I remember asking my father about it, there was so much hype around it I remember the 'theme tune' - "Things can only get get better" but little else. I would have been 11 at the time. My father simply said he hoped the tories would win, because they would allow us to buy the council house and Labour wouldn't.

He didn't vote for them, he never has voted, neither did we buy the house, shortly after this my parents separated anyway. The point being that unlike so many I know, I didn't get any sense of class politics from my family, neither did I get it from the wider community. I grew up in a council house, but in a largely middle class area.

Over the next few years, as I imagine all children coming of age do, I began to think more about the world around be, but had no guide to take me. My earliest memories of thinking in terms of class were films like "Brassed Off" and the "Full Monty" they had quite an impact of developing my understanding of class dynamics in society. I remember as well, watching a film about Bloody Sunday in Ireland, though I can't recall its name. I also remember watching the news coverage of the Kosovar Liberation Army and had an instant affinity for them. 

Before long I had started College and on the very first day, it was 9/11 all of a sudden it was all anyone was discussing and my circle of friends were talking about the role of American imperialism, I became an active participant in the anti-war movement and joined the Socialist Party shortly after, I have since parted ways with them. 

But from this point on I campaigned against the policies of Labour, not just in terms of foreign affairs, but often campaigning against the actions of the Labour controlled Welsh Assembly and Labour councils. Yes there was a left in Labour, but they seemed to the the exception rather than the rule, I was continuously campaigning against the Labour Party, even after the 2010 election of the tories in Westminster, its was the same old Labour Party in charge in Wales and the council chambers.

Whilst Starmer may have finished the job off, the Labour Party I knew was already dead, Whilst Starmer has horrendous policies and actions towards the genocide in Gaza, this is not a fundamental departure from the Labour government that took part in the unlawful invasion of Iraq. Whilst Starmer has criminalised protesters through the proscription of Palestine Action, this was only possible with use of the Terrorism Act 2000, legislation passed by a Labour government, who have also passed other legislation. Whilst Starmer attacked the poorest with revisions on disability benefits, again its not a fundamental brake with the actions of previous Labour governments.

There was brief hope when Corbyn rose to the Labour leadership, but even then, it was an accident of fortune, he was able to do so little, taken down from the inside because Labour was already thoroughly rotten. On a personal level, it must have been so hard for him to take. A lifelong committed anti-racist labelled repeatedly as a racist! It was quite sickening to see, but it shows exactly how far the rot extended.

Starmer himself is nothing new, its just the logical extension of what had come before, perhaps it took some aback because he came directly after Corbyn, but it was Corbyn who was the aberration, Starmer is a continuation of Blair.

Whilst of course throughout this time, there were those inside and outside supporting the Labour Party and many of them genuine, they were always the exception to the norm. You would also hear a conversation like this 

"Labour but socialist"
"Old Labour really"
"Labour but good"

Or a thousand other descriptions that required a caveat it. They were always hanging onto something that had long gone, were always significantly limited in what they could or couldn't do. The slightest resistance was  held up to be the most radical of a stance precisely because it was so abnormal.

To me though, Labour was already dead by the time I had come of age, how could it have been anything but, since then I have campaigned against the policies of Labour, and Starmer's Labour is just a continuation of it. I don't even think he finished the job off, I think it was only the announcement of Your Party being formed that has been the final nail in the coffin for Labour.