Kinnock took Militant down, right on their patch...Kinnock's barnstorming speech at conference in the lion's den ie Liverpool. Right in Derek Hatton's face.
Starmer couldn't even contemplate doing this over the genderists in his party, so deep runs the managerial Left mantra. Just look at recent Unite union declarations, as Stonewall as Stonewall gets.
The Q we all have to consider...if like me you're considering voting Labour, but absolutely sensitive to how they've mishandled the genderwoo over the last few years, you've got to consider, how does Starmer and Streeting (now the defacto deputy, not Rayner, and likely next leader) negotiate their evolved policy thru 4-5 years of Labour being in power...fallouts with MPs and activists, raging rows with unions, public flare ups at conference, daggers drawn with Stonewall.
We have to consider...is Starmer/Streeting genuine in this policy shift? Whether an evolution to this point, or a seismic shift after SNP/Bryson, or simply real politik re opinion polls?
If they are genuine, will they fight for at very least a realistic position? Ie moving further and further away from Self ID? Indeed making the requirements for a GRC tougher and tougher? In other words, triangulating back to the situation we have today?
Will Starmer's tortoise temperament mean that once in power he'll be arguing from a total position of strength, and his natural risk averse and small c conservative attitudes will prevail?
Or worst case scenario, Starmer/Streeting are lying barefaced to us, to swing enough female votes to get power, and then they tack 180 to Self ID/wholesale trans conversion ban, and move in the ways the SNP wanted, and Vox/Podemos in Spain tried to.
As someone proud to have taken the GC course, at some detriment to my career, and who takes my politics and voting very seriously indeed, I have never taken the kind of punt I might do in 2024.
Do I inherently trust Starmer/Streeting on this change back to reality? Am I confident they will shore this up once in power, especially if they have a large majority, to face down internal Left pressure?
On everything else, there's no gap between this long term Tory voter and now wanting Starmer in power. On gender, until recently there's no way I could ever vote Labour.
Things feel different, do I take a punt that could so backfire? Currently this is the sole remaining dissonance I have in my mind in the last decade of trans madness, the tide is turning in almost every area of public life. Will Labour follow the tide? Or con me and millions around the UK, and try to swim against the tide?