No hat-tricks for Starmer!

Although his three goals helped his team destroy formidable European opposition, Marcus Rashford`s truly "remarkable hat-trick" was scored off the pitch (Rashford`s hat-trick underpins ruthless dismantling of Leipzig, 29/10/20). Having succeeded in helping to provide food for impoverished and disadvantaged children, and forcing the government into at least one embarrassing own goal with the U-turn over free school meals in the summer holidays, he is also responsible for exposing almost single-handedly the true nature of this Tory government. Not only did 322 Tory MPs in a government of so-called "one-nation Conservatives" vote against an extension of the free schools programme, many of them went public with their reasons for doing so, which included what Angela Rayner rightly called the "stigmatisation of working-class families" (Ben Bradley urged to apologise over free school meals tweets, 24/10/20). What Rashford is also doing is putting the Labour party, especially its leader, to shame. Forcing governments into making policy changes leading to embarrassing and damning excuses for doing so, used to be the job of the Opposition. So did causing tensions in the Cabinet, dividing the prime minister and his inner circle from the machinations of any fellow Tory politician "who strives to be prime minister", as is clearly happening now (Rishi Sunak`s ambition is on a collision course with Boris Johnson`s ego, 27/10/20). Rashford`s success has illuminated what many in the Labour party must already know: Starmer puts in a good shift in the middle of the park, but his attacking instincts in the final third are limited! With Starmer insisting he "doesn't want a civil war in the Labour party", perhaps he should heed the advice from former party chair, Ian Lavery (Pro-Corbyn MPs may quit Labour amid fear of "mass purge", warns former chair, 31/10/20). To "reach out before it`s too late" would mean the Labour leader immediately having to calm the fears of all those on the left of the party who remember his promises during the leadership campaign, and who were persuaded by them to support his bid. Within days there needs to be reaffirmed commitments on taxing the rich, ending the scourge of tax avoidance, increasing pay for key workers, pledging more state ownership, and even supporting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even before the Corbyn crisis, the excellent Marcus Rashford was putting the Labour party, and its leader, to shame, and causing many embarrassing government U-turns, so now is definitely the moment for Starmer to put his money where his mouth is! Replacing this "cruel and useless government", as Jonathan Freedland says, has to be the long-term priority, but that will prove impossible unless Starmer is able to stifle the left`s fears and show a united front (Labour and antisemitism: once again, it`s all about Corbyn, 31/10/20).