Lindsey German kicks off 2025 by looking at their democracy and ours

The US based billionaire Elon Musk, close adviser to Donald Trump, has in the last week alone called for King Charles to dissolve parliament to enable a fresh election only six months after the previous one; said that Labour minister Jess Philips ‘deserves to be in prison’ and is a ‘rape genocide apologist’ for refusing an inquiry into child sexual abuse in Oldham; and praised the imprisoned fascist Tommy Robinson, claiming he was a ‘political prisoner’ who should be released.   

While there is a great deal talked about political interference in elections and government when it allegedly comes from Russia, there has been remarkable tolerance of Musk’s abusive and incendiary rants. Nigel Farage, expecting to get sizeable donations from Musk for his far-right Reform UK party, has distanced himself from the praise for Robinson, but has called Musk a ‘hero’ for allowing free speech (sic) on his X (Twitter) platform. It hasn’t done him much good, since even the mildest dissenting has led to Musk saying Reform needs a new leader, but it’s indicative of how the far right is courting the billionaire’s money and endorsement.

Keir Starmer has been silent on Musk, even though the attacks also extend to him during his time as DPP, and the supposed failure to deal with cases of sexual abuse then. His ministers have been cautious and emollient where they have said anything, despite the fact that this is a deliberate attempt to use revulsion at rape and sexual abuse in order to further the interests of the far right and to attack the government. Musk has promised money to Reform which can be done legally through a British company, even though the donor is no British national. This could easily be stopped by a change in the law to close this loophole, but Labour ministers are scared to do so because of a right-wing backlash.

At one level this pathetic response is cowardice – it would be easy enough to play the national sovereignty card and say Musk should stay out of British affairs (something that Trump would have no hesitation in doing), but the last thing Starmer wants is to offend Trump. But it also speaks to the paralysis of a government with a big majority unable to deliver on the most basic improvements in working class people’s lives.

They are vulnerable on the ‘grooming gangs’ issue. This is  not because of Starmer’s failings at the DPP or because there won’t be another public inquiry (there have been several on the issue) . Rather it is because they won’t stand up against the Islamophobic right. This would require them to argue that many of the problems in cases like Rochdale and Oldham came from failings of the police to take the cases seriously, and from the failure of the authorities to protect young girls, especially those in care. There is little said about the fact that the majority of sexual abuse doesn’t come from Muslims, and that its prevalence is a major societal problem regardless of race.

Labour’s determination to be tough on immigration feeds racism and Islamophobia. It also reflects how much of the political agenda is set by the right and far right. Starmer has only himself to blame for this: his nationalism, war mongering and support for the military, and pro capitalist policies which fuel the right, has got him where he is. And as even the dogs on the street are aware, it isn’t working.

There has never been a government elected with a big majority on such a low turnout of voters. Nor has there been a government so unpopular so quickly. Astonishingly only six months into a landslide government, there is widespread press commentary about whether Starmer can last the year ahead. My guess is he won’t because whatever he does now – pledges, milestones or relaunches – will fail to reverse the dire opinion that many people have of him. More importantly, he is set on a robotic right-wing trajectory already in evidence with the cutting of the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, the raising of bus fares by 50% affecting many of the poorest workers, and the refusal to compensate the WASPI women.

These have all deepened his unpopularity but there is more to come. Recession looms, growth is lower than predicted and inflation is biting again with energy and food prices going up. There is a battle looming with public sector workers, whose wages and conditions are worsening in real terms. Angela Rayner has given carte blanche to the big property developers by tearing up local planning regulations in the name of solving the housing crisis. It will do the opposite – companies are rationing housing to keep prices up but building on green belt houses which are mostly larger and more expensive.

Farage and Reform are very confident they can grow in these circumstances, and they are right. But the Musk interventions show exactly where their priorities lie: beholden to the super rich and playing on the worst forms of hatred and division. At present Farage distances himself from the likes of Robinson because he wants to appear respectable, and he sees the Tories as a target – he is threatening to unseat the lamentable Kemi Badenoch in her Essex constituency. But he will use racism to gain support, playing on issues like sexual abuse. He will also if in power ditch the policies which make Reform popular with some working-class people, like abolishing student tuition fees or restoring the winter fuel allowance.

We have therefore a first-class political crisis in Britain: the far right waiting in the wings, a catastrophically failing Labour government, and no sign that it can be pushed to the left unless those outside parliament force that to happen – that means the unions, social movements, and left organisations, whatever their electoral weakness.  The centre politicians and their mouthpieces in the media fear Farage but appear to simply hope that good sense will prevail and stop people voting for him.

At the same time these very people demand that we all make sacrifices, that if we want an NHS that works we have to pay more, that we can’t expect to increase our living standards unless we are in the top 5% of earners already. Millions of working-class people will wonder why it is always them who have to work ever harder and still find they are using credit cards to pay bills at the end of the month?  Or why up to half their earnings go in extortionate rent?

It is this determination to attack working class living standards which has undermined the traditional social democratic parties in Europe and the Democrats in the US – and the right is making gains. This is partly aided by the savage attacks on the left under Corbyn (and on Melenchon in France) which come from the same centre politicians.

So what is to be done? We should firstly condemn any attempt at an effective coup against an elected government, whatever we think of the wretched Starmer. Everyone should stand up against this unelected right-wing billionaire who thinks his money gives him the right to spout his reactionary filth. We should also object to the BBC in particular giving such extensive platforms to far right figures which only helps to normalise their views.

We also need a left pole of attraction. There is much talk about a new left party but we shouldn’t wait for that or indeed expect one to perform miracles. Stopping the far right depends on what we do. It means building movements for change which challenge capital, imperialism and racism, not endorse them. There has been success with the Palestine movement internationally, which maintains itself on an astonishing scale and has succeeded – against our governments – in making Israel a pariah state, although not in stopping a genocide.

However, that needs to be linked to a much bigger domestic agenda this year which is dealing not just with instances of austerity but a serious breakdown in the privatised industries, in council services, in the NHS and education. It is fighting on all these fronts that can undercut the right. Only the left can do this – Starmer is already the prisoner of the right, and his government will keep failing.

This week: It’s a new year so a new demo in London, adding to many that have taken place in recent weeks. Join us tonight if you can in support of the health workers, journalists and people of Palestine under such brutal attack.  I’ll also be mobilising for the next national demo on January 18th. Over Xmas I’ve been reading Perry Anderson’s study of different authors’ interpretations of the First World War – highly recommended.