The Labour Left is at it again, tripping over its own laces in a bid to outwit reality. As someone who agrees with many leftist ideas yet finds myself consistently exasperated by their lack of pragmatism, I feel compelled to offer a sarcastic round of applause for yet another self-sabotaging circus. I voted for Corbyn during his two electoral attempts—yes, I admit it—but even I can say Corbynism failed spectacularly. And with it went any hope of the left sniffing power for at least a generation. The left’s failure stems from its chronic unprofessionalism and a naivety that’s almost endearing, if it weren’t so maddeningly counterproductive.
Take the latest social media melodrama. I was listening to The Bunker podcast the other day—an excellent listen, by the way—and they had a journalist from PoliticsHome talking about the left’s mass exodus from Twitter to Bluesky. Now, this shift isn’t just about fleeing the toxic wasteland of Elon Musk’s platform, where he swings his wealth around like a wrecking ball, offending and irritating with the aplomb of a toddler with a megaphone. No, this is about the left finding a “safe space,” a lovely little bubble where they can collectively roll their eyes and pat themselves on the back for being so morally superior.
The plan, it seems, is to starve Musk of relevance by making Twitter obsolete. Admirable in theory. But—and this is where the left once again proves its uncanny ability to shoot itself squarely in the foot—how do you accomplish that without taking the right along for the ride? It’s blindingly obvious, isn’t it? If you want to ostracize someone, everyone has to gang up on them. You can’t just mutter in your echo chamber and expect the world to magically align itself with your worldview.
Bluesky, apparently, has become the digital home for the left’s echo chamber—a place where they can snuggle into the comforting liberal vibes without having to endure any pesky dissent. But here’s the kicker. When conservative MPs or figures set up accounts on Bluesky, posting their material and trying to engage, the response from a certain section of the left is, well, vintage leftist nastiness. Cue the vitriol, the moral outrage, the “How dare you exist here?” vibes. Naturally, these MPs and conservatives just think, “Sod this,” and leave. The result? Bluesky becomes yet another insular playground for the self-righteous, utterly incapable of building the broad coalition necessary to make Twitter irrelevant or Musk powerless.
You couldn’t make it up. Here we have a situation where the left wants to see the back of Musk, but instead of playing the long game and engaging the other side, they’re too busy throwing digital tomatoes at anyone who doesn’t tick all their ideological boxes. It’s as if they’re determined to give Musk the very oxygen and power they claim to despise. Well done, folks. Really stellar strategy.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to all of the left. No, the blame lies squarely with that peculiar subsection of middle-class, middle-aged, semi-retired, or fully retired keyboard warriors who seem to have nothing better to do than be bloody nasty to anyone with a reasonable opinion they don’t agree with. These self-appointed gatekeepers of righteousness are, inadvertently, Musk’s best friends, ensuring that Twitter remains not only relevant but thriving as the digital battlefield they claim to loathe.
So, hats off to you, Larry and pals. By all means, keep snarling at the wrong people and alienating potential allies. Twitter will thank you, Musk will laugh all the way to the bank, and the rest of us will continue to marvel at your unrivaled ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Bravo. Truly.
The Rights of Fans. 