You'd better believe it

Santa may not be real but he does represent a certain set of magical beliefs. You can believe in the magic even if you don’t believe in the man. 

The Jewish Labour Movement held a day of seminars online today that featured (amongst others) Keir Starmer and David Miliband, so we tuned into listen and I have to say it was impressive from two very different perspectives. Starmer is fighting to create a post-Corbyn electable party that does its business ethically and openly in a big tent into which everyone is invited (providing they play by the rules of decent behaviour). Miliband has the big picture, living as he does in new York and strutting the international stage in his leading role with the global refugee movement. I came away with a sense that here were serious people with a serious vision; whether the electorate can get behind it is another matter. There is much to do and in the meantime the world is quite literally burning. There may not be many decades left for serious politicians to rescue us from the fires, but there was a shared sense of relief that Biden replacing Trump was at least an opportunity to get the global search for reasonable solutions back on track.

Starmer’s advice was simple: be part of it, whatever that means for you. We can turn back the tide of fake news, build coalitions for decency at home and abroad, and dare to hope. Just like Santa you can believe in the possibilities that the future may bring even if the people are just ordinary well intentioned people. I have to say today made me feel more optimistic than I have in a long time ...