The only thing uniting Labour is hatred of Tories. It will unravel

As a young, radical Labour Party activist, I knew which side I was on.

Margaret Thatcher was the epitome of evil, her party little better than the fascists, and my own party set to inevitably replace them in government, once the average voter was awakened from his apathetic slumber and realised the error of his ways in voting Conservative in the past.

And then time took its toll. I grew up. I realised – far too late in life, which is the fate of many political obsessives – that those who voted and campaigned for the other side were decent people after all. They may have different political priorities, but our ultimate aims – efficient public services that actually help people, a strong national defence, workers earning high wages in a secure environment – formed a larger part of that Venn diagram than I had ever suspected during my formative political years.

That most Tories were good, nice, decent people didn’t detract from the fact that some were pretty awful individuals. But then again, there were plenty in my own party.

Even some of those high-profile Labour people whose personal brand depended on their meekness, their friendliness to all, their eminent reasonableness when in a one-to-one situation, have turned out to be among the most energetic peddlers of hate, aimed usually at the Conservatives, but also at their own side.

Lord Cashman, formerly Michael Cashman of Eastenders and Stonewall fame, quit these shores earlier this week rather than hang around to face the wrath of party and public after he belittled Labour’s candidate and serving MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield. Duffield, who has endured avalanches of threats from trans rights activists and ideologues because of her insistence on the reality of biological sex, had announced that due to safety concerns, she wouldn’t be attending a hustings event in her constituency.

Lord Cashman’s considered response? “Frit. Or lazy.” Suspended from the party whip, he announced that he had “been advised to take a holiday from this wonderful inclusive, tolerant arena that is X.” The sarcasm said all there needed to be said about the sincerity of his already half-hearted apology to Duffield; imagine a social media platform being so intolerant as to criticise a man for calling a female candidate who fears for her safety a lazy coward.

“I shall miss you all and look forward to seeing you during the summer!” Yeah, don’t hurry back, Michael.

When he does return he might find himself the subject of a second disciplinary inquiry. Labour rules explicitly prohibit any party member from advocating support for any candidate other than the official Labour one. Many have fallen foul of this rule in years past, but the party is generally consistent on ridding itself of such apostates. It is a central, necessary pillar of party discipline. Yet on June 10, Cashman actually reposted an appeal on his X account seemingly encouraging people to vote Lib Dem, not Labour, in Suella Braverman’s constituency in order to unseat her.

Meanwhile, in the Islington North constituency, the chair of the local Labour Party has resigned from the party after reportedly hiding behind a bush, having been spotted by fellow comrades campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the independent candidate there. Again, hatred plays a key role in this foliage-based farce. Whether it’s an unhinged hatred of the party of government for having slightly different priorities from you, or an even more intense hatred of your own (former) party for failing to adhere to your own particular ideological tastes, it is hatred that gets many on the Left to get out of bed in the morning.

Even their party anthem, The Red Flag, is largely about how great it is to hate cowards and traitors who flinch and sneer. A late 19th century version of #bekind, perhaps?

Most of these hatreds and resentments are being camouflaged right now in the midst of the general election campaign, although it’s perhaps significant than even now, with the fate of the nation at stake, there are still those in Labour’s ranks who have decided their personal prejudices are more important than presenting a united front to the country.

But just wait until there is a Labour government with a stonking majority and no opposition to speak of. When Labour becomes its own opposition – and even in less fortuitous times it has had no trouble assuming that role – we will see the sparks fly. The centre-Left, which has remained quiet up until now for fear of being accused of rocking the boat, retains its suspicions of Keir Starmer. The centre-Right Starmerites have had their appetite for routing the Left well and truly indulged in the last couple of years, and they won’t be satisfied until the job is complete.

All of this will happen with the backdrop of a government that has no money to spend, few plans to generate economic growth, and a million hands stretched out towards it demanding extra funding. And in the bad times, the priority is always to find someone to blame. The Tories, naturally, will be at the top of the list, and deservedly so, to an extent.

But that will only work for so long. Unless swift economic progress is made, passions will rise. And in the Labour Party, passion very quickly becomes hatred.

Strap yourselves in.