STARMER HAS NO IDEA HOW TO STOP THE FARAGE JUGGERNAUT

by Colin Liddell

Make no mistake about it, the Labour Party is terrified of Nigel Farage, and has been all-hands-to-the-pump, working night-and-day to come up with an effective strategy to stop the Reform UK populist and his massive lead in the polls. 

The recent Labour Party conference in Liverpool and Starmer's "keynote speech" (yawn) showed us just what Sir Keir's backroom boys had come up with, and, really, it was a damp squib. 

Apparently, the attack line is that, ahem, Farage doesn't really love Britain, LOL.

OK, they might have a point, as I have long argued that there are disturbing red flags around Farage and curious "dark money" support from abroad that suggest he could very well be a tool of the Kremlin. But Labour are not even saying that. In the words of Starmer's speech they are just saying:

"Starmer is just a Britain hater because reasons."

Yup, that is supposed to be the kill shot, like when Chris Christie "destroyed" Donald Trump's run for re-election by comparing him to a well-loved cartoon character. 

Here's how Starmer put it (get your sick bag ready):

"And the question I ask, seriously, of Nigel Farage and Reform [pause] Is do they love our country? Do they want to serve our country – all of it [pause] Our beautiful, tolerant, diverse country [pause] Every region, nation and city [pause] Or do they just want to stir the pot of division [pause] Because that’s worked in their interests."

And:

"When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage [pause] Say anything positive about Britain’s future? He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain [pause] Doesn’t believe in Britain."

This is obviously cobbled together by the all-inclusive, eco-friendly "Stop Farage" Labour backroom committee, and it shows.

Firstly, unless you provide a clear and convincing reason why Farage supposedly hates Britain -- and it's not impossible -- no one who already supports Reform is going to believe you and change their mind. 

What is notable about this attack -- reminiscent of the famous Denis Healy quote "like being savaged by a dead sheep" -- is that there is zero willingness for Starmer to call out the dubious "dark money" and "behind the scenes" influence pushing Farage.

The reason for this is that it sheds too much comparative light on the cabal now running the Labour Party. 

If Starmer started going after the strings attached to Farage, the already vocal critics of Starmer's "genocide adjacent" policy on Israel would raise the volume on the funny money and dodgy influence that backed Starmer's own coup against former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Groups like Labour Friends of Israel, the Jewish Labour Movement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and pro-Israel tycoon and donor Trevor Chinn would soon be a lot more prominent in the discourse than they like to be.

Also, focusing overly on the Farage/GB News support network would force Starmer to call out Dubai as an international "dark money" cesspit, harming relations with Britain's own financial centre, the City of London, which, of course, directly and indirectly benefits. 

So, rather than mounting a real attack on Farage, Starmer just mounts a rhetorical one that not a single Reform supporter will be swayed by.

The real way to stop Farage is simple. It would be to acknowledge that Reform supporters (and even Nigel Farage, crediting him with some sincerity) have a point about mass immigration, and to then greatly reduce it, while dealing with the various bits of economic disruption that this causes.

It would mean a lot less meals delivered by Deliveroo and Uber Eats drivers. But on the plus side, the resulting fall in obesity could just about offset the exodus of brown and Third World staff from the NHS. 

___________________________________

Colin Liddell is the Chief Editor of Neokrat and the author of Interviews & Obituaries, a collection of encounters with the dead and the famous. Support his work by buying his book here (USA), here (UK), and here (Australia), or by taking out a paid subscription on his Substack.

Follow on Twitter and Bluesky