Anushka Asthana

Yeah, and I tried really hard to understand it. And the first thing I wanted to understand was why did they hate the hard left as they would call it so much? And trying to understand that, I think there was a sense, and again, this would be disagreed with by those on the left, that kind of anti-Semitism was baked into the hard left viewpoint of the world. And also that there was a kind of quite

Yeah, and I tried really hard to understand it. And the first thing I wanted to understand was why did they hate the hard left as they would call it so much? And trying to understand that, I think there was a sense, and again, this would be disagreed with by those on the left, that kind of anti-Semitism was baked into the hard left viewpoint of the world. And also that there was a kind of quite

I think he would argue basic or kind of like not nuanced enough view of foreign policy. So, for example, the things I think he really didn't like about Jeremy Corbyn were obviously the anti-Semitism crisis, but also some of the views on Russia, for example, or some of the views on certain countries in the Middle East. So there was that on the one hand.

I think he would argue basic or kind of like not nuanced enough view of foreign policy. So, for example, the things I think he really didn't like about Jeremy Corbyn were obviously the anti-Semitism crisis, but also some of the views on Russia, for example, or some of the views on certain countries in the Middle East. So there was that on the one hand.

And then the other thing is, well, why is Morgan McSweeney a Labour person? Why has he been in the Labour Party his whole life?

And then the other thing is, well, why is Morgan McSweeney a Labour person? Why has he been in the Labour Party his whole life?

I mean, I'm sure he admires Tony Blair, but I don't actually think he's a Blairite in that I don't think the kind of slightly more, I guess the word, I don't mean this in a derogatory way at all, but the slightly more globalist side of Tony Blair, the slightly more internationalism. I don't get a sense of any like driving passion of that from Morgan McSweeney. I think the best clue is,

I mean, I'm sure he admires Tony Blair, but I don't actually think he's a Blairite in that I don't think the kind of slightly more, I guess the word, I don't mean this in a derogatory way at all, but the slightly more globalist side of Tony Blair, the slightly more internationalism. I don't get a sense of any like driving passion of that from Morgan McSweeney. I think the best clue is,

to his politics comes from when he goes to Barking and Dagenham in 2010. And with a lot of other people, quite a lot of whom are quite now senior in the Labour Party, they fight the BNP, the British National Party, the far right party. And I was actually a reporter at the time at the Observer. I spent quite a lot of time there. The BNP had done really, really well in previous elections.

to his politics comes from when he goes to Barking and Dagenham in 2010. And with a lot of other people, quite a lot of whom are quite now senior in the Labour Party, they fight the BNP, the British National Party, the far right party. And I was actually a reporter at the time at the Observer. I spent quite a lot of time there. The BNP had done really, really well in previous elections.

They've got 12 councillors, I think. Nick Griffin wanted to win, barking against Margaret Hodge, who was also huge in this fight at the time. And I feel like there's a sort of, almost what used to be blue labour, but an almost like communitarian left-wingness about Morgan McSweeney, which is, this is why I say he's obsessed with the idea about working people.

They've got 12 councillors, I think. Nick Griffin wanted to win, barking against Margaret Hodge, who was also huge in this fight at the time. And I feel like there's a sort of, almost what used to be blue labour, but an almost like communitarian left-wingness about Morgan McSweeney, which is, this is why I say he's obsessed with the idea about working people.

He thinks that everything should be about trying to service working people. And When he went to East London, in what some people described to me, I think actually John Cruddas, who was the MP in Dagenham at the time, as the canary in the coal mine, it was like the first red wall.

He thinks that everything should be about trying to service working people. And When he went to East London, in what some people described to me, I think actually John Cruddas, who was the MP in Dagenham at the time, as the canary in the coal mine, it was like the first red wall.

It was the first place in the country where white working class voters were turning away from Labour because they were angry about immigration. And they were upset about the impact that people moving out of East London, particularly Africans, were having in their communities. And I remember walking around and I remember hearing a lot of people talk about it.

It was the first place in the country where white working class voters were turning away from Labour because they were angry about immigration. And they were upset about the impact that people moving out of East London, particularly Africans, were having in their communities. And I remember walking around and I remember hearing a lot of people talk about it.

And his view was, we need to take that on. We need to go into those communities and we need to try and address their concerns, take their concerns seriously, you know, not dismiss them as racist concerns. And actually, there was something interesting they did there was they just massively focused on local issues.

And his view was, we need to take that on. We need to go into those communities and we need to try and address their concerns, take their concerns seriously, you know, not dismiss them as racist concerns. And actually, there was something interesting they did there was they just massively focused on local issues.

So, for example, one of the issues was that people had loads of crap in their front gardens. I saw gardens, as they called them. So they launched a massive campaign by the council to say to people, either we're going to fine you for the mess in your front garden or we can come and help you clear it up. It was a massively successful campaign.

So, for example, one of the issues was that people had loads of crap in their front gardens. I saw gardens, as they called them. So they launched a massive campaign by the council to say to people, either we're going to fine you for the mess in your front garden or we can come and help you clear it up. It was a massively successful campaign.