WELCOME TO 'TRANSFORM' - A NEW POLITICAL PARTY FOR THE LEFT

 I got back from my run this morning just before lunchtime - and discovered that Transform had been launched. Alleluia!

The Judas Touch

Here's how SKWAWKBOX ran the story:

SKWAWKBOX (SW) posted: " With 'Labour' refusing to oppose Tory two-child benefit cap, labour movement and campaigning activists have issued call for new party of the left under 'Transform' banner to offer real choice - and prevent far right filling political vacuum As Kei" SKWAWKBOX Labour movement figures call for new party after Starmer benefit cap betrayal: Transform SKWAWKBOX (SW) Jul 25 With 'Labour' refusing to oppose Tory two-child benefit cap, labour movement and campaigning activists have issued call for new party of the left under 'Transform' banner to offer real choice - and prevent far right filling political vacuum As Keir Starmer continues his betrayal of ordinary people with Labour refusing to oppose the Tory two-child benefit cap, labour movement activists have responded with a call for a new party of the left, Transform. The group, which includes the Breakthrough Party, PAL, Left Unity and Liverpool Community Independents, has issued a video and statement to mark the launch of Transform: Why? Our country is in crisis, yet Labour under Starmer is planning to follow the same brutal policies as the Tories. A new politics is needed that provides real answers to climate change, the cost of living explosion, the erosion of democracy and the spread of war. Who? People supporting the call include former Labour MP Thelma Walker; Ian Hodson, President of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU); Solma Ahmed, former Labour Women's Committee and Momentum NCG member; India Willoughby, broadcaster and journalist; Derek Wall, ecosocialist writer and former principal speaker of the Green Party; Lucy Williams, Alan Gibbons and Sam Gorst, Liverpool Community Independent councillors; Seema Syeda, anti-racist activist; Maia Thomas, Black Lives Matter activist; Zoe Gardner, refugee rights campaigner, and many others. Organisations from across the left already involved include the Breakthrough Party, Left Unity, and the People’s Alliance of the Left, with more groups set to join in the coming weeks. Plans are already underway to build local Transform groups and organise in-person events across the country, culminating with the launch of the party later this year. Former Labour MP Thelma Walker said: We need to end the duopoly in Westminster and offer people across the country a choice of a party that will fight for social, economic and environmental justice. For many Labour supporters, Starmer’s defence of the child benefit cap will be the last straw. Bakers' union president Ian Hodson added: The need for change and for a party that people feel represents them is critical if we are to end the greed crisis caused by politics owned by the richest in our society. People matter, and politics must be done in the people's interests. Lucy Williams, Alan Gibbons, Sam Gorst, the Liverpool Community Independent councillors who stunned and hammered Labour in the city's recent local elections, said: Our election to three seats in Liverpool demonstrated that there is a space to the left of Labour. We need a force in British society that stands unequivocally on the side of working class communities and against all forms of bigotry and prejudice. Left Unity's Doug Thorpe: In the absence of a left alternative there is a real danger that far-right players will move to fill the vacuum with reactionary answers. Left Unity believes there is an urgent need for a new left party, and we support the Transform call and principles. Solma Ahmed: Staying and fighting for Starmer’s party is no longer an option. We need an alternative that challenges the political system. That’s why I’m excited to support Transform: because it meets my ambitions for a better and more equal world. The Breakthrough Party's Alex Mays: It's time for the left to come together to provide a real alternative: one that transforms our politics, our society and our planet. We at the Breakthrough Party are proud to put our name to this call. We can't wait for someone else to save us, we have to do it ourselves. SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job. If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.   Comment   Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from SKWAWKBOX. Change your email settings at manage subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://skwawkbox.org/2023/07/25/labour-movement-figures-call-for-new-party-after-starmer-benefit-cap-betrayal-transform/

I've been waiting and waiting - and now the new party has arrived. Before Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party, I had been among the first members of Left Unity. I then joined the Labour Party once Jeremy was the leader, loved the vision and campaigned for JC in 2017 and 2019 - and then departed along with 200,000 others after Starmer had lied his way to the leadership in 2020. I trust the vision of Left Unity and the other socialists behind the launch of Transform.