Voters will reject fake patriotism. Keir Starmer should have the courage to embrace the complexity of our national story
This week, the Guardian revealed that the Labour leadership is preparing to back a flag-waving strategy to connect with the party’s former “red-wall” voters. The news has generated a disappointment among members and beyond that it’s difficult to overestimate.
Not because they don’t care about the country but because they do. Politics is the art of many things. But persuasion and emotional connection to the electorate is ultimately the difference between power and opposition. It’s why “authenticity” in politics is so highly prized.