“WHAT Starmer’s done is unforgivable,” says legendary socialist film-maker Ken Loach.

As he speaks in the basement of the left-wing Casa bar, crowds pack out the room above for the much-anticipated launch of the For the Many Network in Liverpool.

Across town, a rather contrasting political scene unfolds, as corporate suits gather at what one attendee called the “Labour Ltd” conference, featuring execs from Amazon and Airbnb.

It wouldn’t be outlandish to argue that Starmer’s conference this year does nothing but prove Loach’s point: “He’s made the Labour Party safe for the Establishment.” 

After years of supporting Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, Loach was kicked out under Starmer’s reign in a paranoid witch-hunt in 2021, which saw the removal of a raft of other innocent leftwingers.

Fortunately for Loach, being expelled from Labour seems to almost be a prerequisite to being a founding member of For the Many Network. 

Ousted members include Jewish Voice for Labour co-founder Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, who was suspended for speaking at an event hosted by a left-wing proscribed group, and activist Audrey White who famously confronted Starmer for “feeding Tory ideology” by distancing himself from Corbyn’s pledges. 

It is those very pledges, which once prompted Labour to swell into the largest political party in Europe, that inspired the 12 core principles on which the For the Many Network is built. 

The aim of the network is to connect activists across movements and parties who are united through these socialist fundamentals.

These include calls for the re-establishment of the welfare state, a non-racialised immigration system, a green and just transition, as well as public ownership of public services and infrastructure. 

“Since the political assassination of Corbyn, keeping unity of a great body of people is difficult, because the left fragments,” says Loach.

Instead of starting a party, “the idea is to unite on the basis of principles, rather than electoral politics.”

He says that it these very principles that could be “the rock on which a new political movement could be built.” 

Ian Hodson, the president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, who is taking part in the project in a personal capacity, laid out what this looks like in practical terms.

He explains that the network will comprise local grassroots hubs that operate similar to a constituency party “without all of the problems that a constituency party, certainly inside Labour, has.”

These will connect activists together both locally and nationally, who will then be able to arm each other with the skills to campaign effectively.

“We train each other with the skills that we possess to make all of our lives better,” Hodson says.

 “How do you lobby a councillor? How do you lobby an MP? How do you get these stories into the media? How do you make the real priorities of the people come out? That’s what we want to do, to improve our communities, and build a broad movement” he says.

He adds that we’re in a climate where communities are being devastated “by the idea that division is going to somehow going to create this opportunity in this golden land.” 

“We’re not going to see improvements in our lives just by hating people.” 

Through the network, a cross-section of movements and communities can instead unite around principles which address practical issues.

Hodson says that one example will be that the network will train people on how to do PIP, which stems from the principle of having an accessible justice system. 

The network’s practicality is evident from the outset during its launch on Monday — with Wimborne-Idrissi pointing out: “This is not a rally, this is an organising meeting.” 

Individuals from diverse movements, including trade unions and groups dedicated to causes such as opposing NHS privatisation, combating racism, and advocating for disability rights, delivered speeches about their respective campaigns in alignment with the principles from which they can network and collaborate.

It already demonstrates the goal that Loach laid out in the interview before the launch — the aim to “translate these ideas into the practical issues that are facing people.

“We put these demands, real demands that people need, that match the anger and despair and the fears that people have.

“It’s putting working-class politics at the heart of the political debate.”

Loach maintains that this has dissipated after Corbyn was deposed, with Labour providing “variations on the Tory programme” in its place.

Speaking on whether Labour’s current Cabinet represents any of the principles listed out by For the Many provoked a laugh. 

“Starmer made a vague attempt, but old sweats like us could see he was lying through his teeth” says Loach.

“He’s a man who’s not fit to be in the Labour movement, never mind leader.”

The For the Many Network can be followed on Twitter @forthemany_net.