If it wasn’t obvious by now, the past few weeks have made it clear: Keir Starmer doesn’t like democracy. No wonder. The driving force of the Corbyn project was a will to democratize: the party, the economy, our political system.

Unacceptable as this was to ruling-class interests, they had to smear the Left. As a result, during the Corbyn years, the Labour Left and organizations like Momentum were routinely accused in the media of being “Stalinist” whenever any attempt was made to democratize the party and give members and trade unions a real say.

Yet for all these accusations, not a single MP was deselected under Jeremy Corbyn. In comparison, the purge Starmer is now overseeing is unprecedented, while garnering no such prominent press coverage. Despite promising to unite the party and “end factionalism,” Starmer’s leadership has been characterized by relentless attacks on the Left, from mass suspensions and proscriptions to the removal of the whip from Corbyn. The latest front is parliamentary selections.