Today’s NEC results can be a reset.

There’s every chance of a good result for the Grassroots Voice slate off the back of Corbyn’s suspension and the Starmer’s war on the left.

Whatever the results of today’s Labour NEC elections, nothing will fundamentally change in direction of the Labour party, and Keir Starmer and his Starmtroopers will remain in full control of the party. This is the verdict on Corbynism’s weak attempt at democratic reforms; the next time the left (if ever) seize the structures so comprehensively they must be far more wide reaching in their efforts.

So yes, there is no genuine firewall against Starmer. He has the mandate, the PLP love him, there’s no credible way of taking action against him even if Labour members turned en masse against him (and they haven’t).

These elections can however, act as a reset, and a clear message. The Grassroots Voice slate, should it prevail and have a good result, will be a voice for Corbyn era policies and forward looking democratic socialist politics. Getting those people in the room is good thing, even though they can be outvoted in any room they make it to.

I’m not in the habit of predicting the result of NEC elections; and this time will be no different. There’s zero tangible evidence I can compile to make a dispassionate prediction, and if politics has taught me anything, it’s that the outcome I want from a democratic exercise is rarely the outcome I get from aforementioned democratic exercise.

But I do believe the left slate has a very solid chance here, and it could work for them. We’ll see later today, but the suspension of Corbyn (membership’s favourite leader), and attacks on the left recently could make enough people uneasy. Couple that with low turnout, and the left being the angry ones, and the chances are solid, maybe even promising.

Starmer is currently borrowing the electoral tactics of Trumpism, implementing them far more efficiently than the man himself you might say. Labour is currently attempting to purge leftwingers and “invalid” votes before the results come through. You have to laugh. This is why centrists will never be and have never been principled opponents to the antidemocratic far right: they are it, they’re just more civil and respectable about it.

Let’s hope Labour members send a message of frustration with the leadership.