But seriously, what is the point of Your Party?

Throughout the brief history of Your Party, I’ve been there: from its amateurish formation, to its disingenuous marketing, to its ego-fuelled spat with the Greens. I’ve developed somewhat of a reputation for it. When I took the pitch for this very article, I was met with a comedic remark from a talented commentator who expressed that he knew I’d do just that. Another writer commented to me recently that this Corbyn-Sultana party has become a borderline obsession of mine, which struck me as an amusing observation. They say you should write about what you’re passionate about, so let’s just say I’m passionate about challenging stupidity.

No, but seriously, what is the point of Your Party? As a political organisation, it just doesn’t make sense for a myriad of reasons, which I’ll now expound upon in no particular order.

Firstly, their hypocritical ideology. Your Party is supposed to represent several inclusive values, which are systematically undermined throughout its core structure. It’s supposed to be an inclusive space for all religions and genders, yet one of its former MPs, Adnan Hussein, has expressed how it’s a highly exclusionary environment, particularly for Muslim men. Even Zarah Sultana, one of the party’s co-leaders, labelled it a “sexist boy’s club”. Your Party doesn’t practice what it preaches and thus cannot be seen as a serious force for progressive change.

The party was launched without a definite leadership structure, or a name for that matter (the name ‘Your Party’ remains a placeholder)

Secondly, this duplicitous and hypocritical behaviour is not new for this party’s leadership. While he helmed the Labour Party, now Your Party co-leader Jeremy Corbyn was a large part of why a culture in which anti-Semitism was left frequently unchallenged was developed. During this time, Corbyn even interfered with internal investigations about himself to minimise scrutiny about his views, with Sultana admitting that Corbyn has a history of “capitulation” on anti-Semitism. Not only are racial prejudices evident in Your Party, but they aren’t new for its leaders either.

Thirdly, their misinformation tactics. They have deployed typical Westminster half-truths to attempt to create an illusory political wave of momentum. Celebrating over half a million sign-ups, Sultana urged more to “call Starmer’s bluff and leave the sinking ship”, having previously bragged about surpassing Reform’s membership. This wasn’t true, given membership is a formal (financial) commitment, not merely filling in a Google form. I signed Starmer up for the fun of it, and to prove that in an age where momentum is crucial, Your Party is determined to manufacture it.

Fourthly, Your Party makes student politics seem organised, and as a confessed student politician (even if that term gives me the heebie-jeebies) myself, I can tell you that’s an impressive feat. The party was launched without a definite leadership structure, or a name for that matter (the name ‘Your Party’ remains a placeholder). When paid membership was launched, Corbyn threatened legal action against Sultana, urging supporters to ignore it. Though the leaders have made up since, Your Party has admitted to causing “significant uncertainty and stress”. They took people’s personal data, including banking details, and made a (still ongoing) legal fight out of it, all to extend the battleground of their internal squabbles.

Alongside this general incompetence, they’re a less established and compelling version of the Greens (and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a massive fan of theirs either)

Fifthly, why are they even a separate party from the Greens? Under newly elected leader Zack Polanski, the Greens have shifted notably to the left and are now, without a doubt, the leading party on that far left end of the political spectrum. For many, they embody a hopeful optimism for the future, representing the true form of the ‘left-alternative’ that Your Party has inexplicably failed to become. Polanski even invited Sultana to join the Greens, emblematic of their merely symbolic differences. In classic leftist style, it’s not really about what they want to achieve, but more about who gets to drive the car.

To summarise, Your Party has a performative ideology that it fails to follow, is led by people who have long been engaged in insincere politics, manipulates facts to gain a political advantage, and is organised in a manner that would make a student union blush. Alongside this general incompetence, they’re a less established and compelling version of the Greens (and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a massive fan of theirs either). What’s amusing is that I could easily keep going, but the point of this article has been abundantly made.

Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and Your Party seems only to reinforce this epigram over time. I’ve been asked on several occasions something to the effect of, ‘What is it about the new Corbyn-Sultana party you dislike so much?’, and now, instead of producing an overly simplified answer, I have devised a new solution: I’ll send them this article.