"Then there was the charity worker who was asked to unroll the corporate banner she was planning to put up at a fringe event. To make sure it didn't say anything offensive or constituted a thought crime. Like support for Andy Burnham. Others were a little more chipper. Laughing and relaxed. Upbeat even. That could just be because they've already given up caring, another observed. The worst has already happened."
"Most of the country was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. That they could turn things round after 14 years of Tory government. That they would be a safe pair of hands. The grownups were back in charge. Now the national mood is unforgiving. Reform is 10 points ahead in many polls. If there were an election today, Nigel Farage might well be in Downing Street with an overall majority. Keir Starmer's personal ratings are some of the worst ever recorded."
Delegates at the Labour conference express resignation, anxiety and low expectations, with many focused on surviving the event without things getting worse. Security queues reveal bleak remarks and chants about thought-policing, and a charity worker was asked to unroll a banner to check for offensive content, even if it expressed support for Andy Burnham. Conference aspirations have narrowed to socializing and making the best of a diminished moment. A year after a landslide victory, public opinion has turned markedly negative, with Reform leading in polls and Keir Starmer's personal ratings among the worst recorded, leaving Labour in precarious political territory.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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