Winning in 2010

David Lammy is spot-on in his analysis for Progress of the challenges facing Labour.

 

Three things need to be done – exposing the Tories; showing how Labour has made a difference; and explaining why Labour has the direction and policies for the future.

 

The first two are important and I will return to them, but the third is fundamental.

 

Reminding voters about Labour priorities is crucial. ‘For the many not the few’ was a Blairite slogan but it still resonates strongly. ‘Fairness’ is widely understood and should be applied as a test to all decisions and policies. And we need to show why ‘collective action’ is the only answer to many of the big issues facing Britain.

 

These principles need to be related to people’s lives and their concerns today and for the future.

 

There are many ways this could be done, here are just three – make taxation nationally and locally more progressive and thereby fairer; make work more flexible for all and more rewarding by raising the minimum wage; and provide better support to the growing millions of people with caring responsibilities.

 

Only when Labour clearly has set out what our priorities are and why only Labour can deliver this agenda, can we move forward.

 

We must also attack the Tories. David Cameron has had an easy ride to date but his economic and social policies must be exposed. And we must attack the Tories for their record in local government given they now run most councils, making cuts in local services and hidden charges.

 

Finally, we need to show how Labour has made a difference to people’s lives. There isn’t a household in Britain that hasn’t benefited from better schools, better health services, the minimum wage, Sure Start children’s centres and free early education, lower crime, record employment and the list goes on.

 

That hasn’t happened by accident. But people need to be told repeatedly why it has happened, and what is at stake at the next election. 

Comments

[Robert]

The problem is i do not believe you or trust you sorry New Labour or your Labour.

Being disabled and an activist when I can, I've seen new Labour become more hated then Thatchers Tories and you wonder why.

For me the third green paper on welfare reforms, when the other two have failed.

I want to work would love to work, have been through the new Deal, pathways to work and will of course change to the workfare rubbish in October, yet I've failed to find a single job. Oh I've done the so called training writing a letter to Labour wales at the Assembly asking how the hell do these one off training shops make money, on three occasions I trained for six weeks on how to make tea.

On another I trained for three weeks on how to answer the phone, for god sake I was a bloody supervisor for one of the biggest building companies in the EU.

I had meetings with ministers when carrying out government contracts.

Yet had to be taught how to answer the phone.

Then I had disability awareness me a disabled person, it was not me that needed the awareness.

I wasted well over £800 doing so called retraining because I'm not on a means tested benefits I had to pay, for what, one training course was how to shake hands with people, how to tie your tie how to dress, I'm disabled not dead.

The fact is in eleven years of New Labour I'm worse off more hated because of your BBC charade of welfare cheats and your media campaign of hate for the disabled.

Vote for you I'd rather vote bloody Tory.

[David Gwynne]

Stephen is right in his analysis that we need to move into a projecting a positive message about what the Government has done and its practical achivements since 1997.

His comment on attacking the Tories echoes a comment in Denis McShane's excellent article in this month's magazine. We must not attack ourselves but attack the Tories and point out the damage their irresponsible and ill though through policies will do to the most vulnerable in society. Denis' comment on Norman Fowler's book reminds me to mention another book on the Tory disintegration:
Gyles Brandreth's "Breaking the Code".

Whilst Brandreth isn't everyone's cup of tea, the major part of his book focuses on his time as a Government whip in the run-up to the 1997 election. He points about the damage of not appearing united and allowing a drip, drip, drip of criticism of the leadership provide a valuable lesson for where we are now. We need to heed what we've said in the past.

As many a party activist has sloganised at demonstrations, "Unite and Fight".

[Antony]

The differences between the Tory and the Labour Parties, post the Thatcher and Blair reforms, are minimal. I shall be voting Labour purely for tribal reasons. If the Tories get in, we'll simply have the government we have now, with different faces. It's amusing to paint a picture of doom and disaster under a Tory administration, but because so much of our policy is decided by the EU or by global economic forces, no one is going to be able to tell the difference. Only a far right or a far left government would change anything or break the central concensus, and I for one would want neither.

[Robert]

Thats the real point is it not, would you see a difference if the Tories did win, when we had a hung Assembly in Wales, Labour did everything possible to have the Tories join them, the idea being pushed forward was the Tories knew what labour was about.

I think that sums up the whole situation Labour and the Tories are so close I doubt I'd notice any difference.