BRITAIN CAN DO BETTER

This afternoon (Tuesday) Labour Leader Ed Miliband made his keynote speech to his party’s annual conference in Brighton. Speaking as is now usual for more than hour without notes Miliband set out his vision of how “Britain can do better” under Labour, with an economy that works for “ordinary people once again”.

Whereas his previous two party addresses have established who Ed Miliband was and to set out his “One Nation” philosophy this speech added the message “Britain can do better” under Labour to those themes.

His words were given rapturous standing ovations as did his departure from the conference hall with wife Justine at his side as they walked through the cheering delegates to the sound of loud music followed by the media pack. However what was important for the Labour Leader is not whether the delegates “got it” but the nation at large.

Miliband pledged that his Labour Government would freeze gas and electricity bills for every home and business in the UK for 20 months if it wins the 2015 election. He added that energy firms had been overcharging “for too long” and it was time to “reset” the energy market.

He suggested he would support measures to give 16 and 17 year old votes in general elections. 

Miliband also promised Labour would build 200,000 new homes a year by 2020. 

The Labour Leader told delegates and the watching TV audience: “David Cameron talks about Britain being in a global race. But what he doesn’t tell you is that he thinks the only way Britain can win is for you to lose.” That means “the lowest wages, the worst terms and conditions, and the fewest rights at work - a race to the bottom. The only way we can win is in a race to the top.”

Miliband peppered his statements with the tag line: “We're Britain, we're better than this” earning cheers and applause from Labour’s activists. He received standing ovations for defending the NHS and promising to axe “the bedroom tax” - and tackled Tory criticism that he lacks leadership skills head-on, saying: “If they want to have a debate about leadership and character - be my guest.”

Echoing the message from his Shadow Cabinet colleagues over the week he told the party faithful, he had stood up to Murdoch, to vested interests on media regulation and the tobacco lobby as well as made the right call on Syria.

To find out what others thought I asked Lord Maurice Glasman who is a Miliband guru. He told me: “Ed finally defines his direction. Regional banks, living wage, interest rate cap, organizing, break up of oligopoly” all of which has been promised by Labour and Ed at this week’s conference. Yet Glasman also asks: “Can he hold the position?”

Next on my list was Neal Lawson who is Chairman of Compass which campaigns for The Good Society. He stated: “Ed’s speech was well delivered. Good lines and some good policy. But no theme or argument to carry a debate.”

So how do others see us? Amongst the international delegates was Terry Connolly. As his name suggests he is a member of Ireland’s Labour Party and organizes the PES activists in Europe. His view is very positive. “It was a powerful speech that showed that Ed Miliband is ready to become UK Prime Minister. He showed a strong commitment to the social democratic ideals of universality and outlined a clear vision of the future of the UK, a future which will be shaped by the Labour Party.”

Whether that future is shaped by Miliband and Labour is down to the great British voter.

(This article appeared in the London Progressive Journal on September 24 2013 and in other publications)

HAS EUROPE ABANDONED THE LEFT?

I want to beg the question: has Europe abandoned the left? It was a theme that was widely discussed at the Fabian Society’s recent conference – Social Europe: worth fighting for? There seemed to be an intellectual gloom that at this time of crisis it is the centre right governments that are in power.

In her keynote speech Labour’s Shadow Europe Minister Emma Reynolds stated: “... let me say something about the crisis of European social democracy. In the 27 member states of the European Union, centre left parties are only leading in 3 member states and in coalition in 3 others. In contrast in 1999, 11 out of 15 government in the then EU were on the centre left

“But as social democrats we cannot be content to be successful only in times of economic growth and prosperity, we have to develop a narrative and policies which start to resonate with people in difficult economic times too.

“We must combine fiscal credibility, a strategy for growth and social justice. The centre right have demonstrated that austerity alone is self defeating.”

Now of course politicians and political parties see success solely as being in government: hence the hard figures presented by Emma Reynolds. However if we are concerned whether the people of Europe have abandoned the left these heads of government counts are rather misleading.

I would argue that in many cases the voters have not rejected socialism but the government that was in power when the economic crisis hit. In 2009 in the early days of the on-going world-wide crisis Labour was defeated in the UK. There is much breast beating about it being Labour’s worst showing since God knows when or 1983. True but I wonder if this is being dwelt on because it suits a renewal agenda rather than the true situation with the electorate.

The Labour Government was unpopular because of the crisis and because voters did not like Gordon Brown. Yet even in this scenario the Conservatives under David Cameron could not win an outright majority; they had to rely on a centre left party to take power and indeed there is widespread political opposition amongst the electorate to much of their right wing agenda. It is significant that this opposition is articulated more by the trade unions from the more radical Unite to the conservative BMA than by the Labour Party. It is also arguable that had Labour been led by a new leader in 2010 and lost then the party would have had enough seats to still govern in a coalition with the Lib Dems. So is socialism and progressive politics dead in Britain? Hardly. If you add the poll percentages for Labour and the Lib Dems at the 2010 general election “the left” had 52 per cent, a clear majority over the Conservatives on 36.1 per cent.

In Spain in November it was no surprise that the centre right Partido Popular came to power. The writing had been on the wall for a long time. The PP now governs with a clear majority but let us look at the facts. The PP’s vote rose only by 4.69 per cent. The reason the socialists lost is that four million or 15.11 per cent of its supporters abandoned the party. Only a few voted for the PP, others switched to the far left Izquierda Unida alliance which  picked up new seats, some voted for minority parties but the majority simply did not vote.

So is socialism dead in Spain? Certainly not. On Sunday February 19 the PP and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were shocked when there were major demonstrations in 58 cities, including thousands marching through the centre of Madrid, all protesting against the government’s new employment laws. As the Partido Popular held a triumphalist congress in Sevilla ahead of the Andalucía regional government elections Rajoy was forced to rush on to the stage to defend his government’s changes to these laws. The protestors are not going to go away and the UGT with CC.OO unions have promised widespread protests which will probably culminate in a national general strike in the months to come.

It must be the shortest honeymoon in political history. The fact is the electorate punished the PSOE government for presiding over the economic collapse of the country but it is giving no slack to the PP government either. Traditional socialist and left wing forces are at work but as in Britain it is the trade unions that are speaking for them. People are angry over having no jobs. They want to be able to put food on their families’ tables. They want to be able to pay their mortgage and rent. They want to heat and light their homes. They are furious that the finance companies are repossessing homes, making people homeless, yet these unfortunate people still owe the banks over 100,000 euros for a home they no longer have: instead they are on the streets. Yet these same banks are handed massive bailouts and their sacked executives seek millions of euros in compensation. It may be the unions and not PSOE that are leading the fight: but it is certainly a socialist left of centre battle.

In her speech to the Fabians Emma Reynolds stated: “The presidential election in France in May presents a great opportunity for Francois Hollande to spark a revival of the centre left in Europe. Only then will social democrats have the chance to start shaping the debate about Social Europe and return Europe back to growth and prosperity.”

For France to elect a socialist president would certainly change the face of European politics given the central role the country plays in the EU. It would also give social democrats a new impetus: yet the socialist heart still beats strong in Europe and socialists are shaping the debate: it is just that they have given up on the traditional socialist parties and are taking the fight in to their own hands.

It is only the arrogance of political leaders and their parties that see a defeat for Brown and Labour along with that of Zapatero and PSOE as signalling the death of socialism. Socialism and progressive politics burns in the hearts of the people of Britain and Spain, the majority of people in fact - perhaps now more than ever.

There are many “Christians” in Europe who reject outright organised religion: in the same way there are millions of socialists who will still fight for their beliefs but see organised parties as part of the problem not the solution. European socialists may have abandoned their parties but they have not abandoned socialism.

(The above article appeared in the London Progressive Journal on March 8 2012).

IS ED MAKING A BALLS OF IT?

The New Year got off to a bad start for the Labour Party leader Ed Miliband when Lord Maurice Glasman, his presumed guru, blasted him and the party for “showing no signs of winning the economic argument” in a wide ranging article in the New Statesman.


The media guns were swiftly turned on Miliband but should they have instead been aimed at the other Ed - Balls. After all the Labour Party leader has to lead on all fronts; it is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Ed Balls, who is meant to dominate the economic debate. Balls, who was an advisor then a ministerial colleague of the Iron Chancellor, Gordon Brown, knows more than anybody how he jealously guarded his turf, especially as Ed was one of his economic enforcers.

I will return to this theme shortly but first I want to concentrate on the speech given by Ed Balls to the Fabian Society at their Economic Alternative conference held on January 14. Whilst the Shadow Chancellor intoned the Labour Party economic policy mantra the main theme of his address was a robust defence of Keynes.

Balls is a disciple of John Maynard Keynes. He told the conference: “the reason why the real Keynes is so relevant today is that the global economy has been sliding into that rare and dangerous ’special case’ that Keynes identified in the 1930s and Japan suffered in the 1990s.

“You either learn the lessons of history or repeat the mistakes of history.

“With growth stagnating around the world, every country pressing ahead with deep cuts risks being a catastrophic mistake.

“Which is why Ed Miliband and I have argued for a global plan for growth, with clear medium-term plans to get deficits down, but stimulus now to avoid a global slump too.

“Rejecting the complacent isolationism of the 1930s and instead following Keynes’ lead by setting out a global solution to global problems – an economic alternative based on growth, job creation and balanced deficit reduction, which is the only sane way forward for Britain – and the only way back to credibility in the Euro area too.”

There were few detractors to Balls message and those that there were formed two camps. Some felt that Balls having argued the Keynes case didn’t go on to reach the Keynesian conclusion whilst others had no time for Labour’s timid approach on the economy.

On my way to the Fabian Society event held at the Institute of Education, part of the University of London in Bloomsbury, I passed through Gordon Square. A blue plaque on one of the buildings tells us that it was here that John Maynard Keynes spent many years of his life. I wondered whether Ed Balls’ female side may have got to him and he would have placed flowers on the doorstep before his speech but sadly no.

This is relevant because after Ed Balls speech I spoke to a number of people who said how impressed they had been with his performance as normally they found him repulsive; he was simply too aggressive. At the Fabians he was amongst friends but if Labour supporters rejected him because he acts in the media like an aggressive pit bull terrier imagine what a negative impact he must have on floating voters.

After Balls speech I sent out a Twitter on this theme. Here are just a few comments but I did not receive one in support of the present Balls style.

“Well that’s his and Gordon’s fault then; bring the real Miliband back and maybe, just maybe, people will start listening.”

“He was always been shallow and selfish in power. Now out of power why would that change?”

“Balls past behaviour and failings undermines everything he says and does now. People are neither stupid nor amnesiac.”

Now my point is this. It is all very well Ed Balls warmly embracing John Maynard Keynes but for the majority of voters the only Keynes they know is Milton. If he presents himself to the public as a rabid dog of war: first he is not seen as a Chancellor in waiting; secondly he is roundly rejected by the majority of the population, thirdly and worst of all Labour’s economic message is lost because the voters do not like the messenger.

So this presents Ed Miliband with a major problem. He has a shadow Chancellor who is identified by the majority of voters with the economic failures of the last Labour Government. He has an economic policy that is not even getting heard because of Balls’ aggressive stance. Hence when Glasman states Labour is showing signs of not winning the economic argument it could be said the good lord is merely stating as they would say in my part of London “the bleeding obvious”.

It was Tony Blair who said the New Labour project would only be complete when the Labour Party loved Peter Mandelson. I am not sure all the party ever did but Ed Miliband has a tougher job on his hands. He has to persuade the voters to love Ed Balls and when they have done that his economic policy. Sadly time is not on his side.

(The above article appeared in the London Progressive Journal on January 26 2012).

THE PARTY IS DEAD, LONG LIVE LABOUR

The venue was Millbank Tower in Westminster by the Thames. The room in a previous life had been New Labour’s campaign briefing headquarters. Labour has moved on and now it is the Tories who occupy offices upstairs.

The event was the Fabian Society’s “Progressive Fight Back”. It was billed as “the first chance for Fabian and Labour members and other campaigners to debate what the fallout of the 2011 elections mean for the future of British politics.”

So did the Tories send a spy to listen in? Well to be frank if they did they would have been more than happy with what they heard. They would have found a Labour Party busy studying its navel, a party under the guidance of Peter Hain ‘refounding’ itself and to be honest it was not a pretty sight. Indeed if the political ghost of Lord Mandelson was still lurking behind the scenes he would have spun in his ermine gown.

Hain’s brief from Ed Miliband is to ‘refound’ the Labour Party. However the Labour Party is an irrelevance to the majority of people in Britain. Voters make governments and not party members whatever the activists may think. The voters are swayed by what politicians say on TV, radio, the press and social media. Few give any thought to the Labour Party and on this evidence it’s just as well.

Party members stood up to speak of a hostile party, one where local organisations were used as tools by MPs or councillors to secure their re-selection, of a large unfathomable rules book, of branches that set out to put members firmly in their place and discourage family involvement, a Labour that expects its members to campaign without adequate information or support and the public can be a member of this sorry state of affairs for just 40 pounds a year. Don’t all rush at once!

Peter Hain has the unenviable task of ‘refounding’ the party with the option to open it up to first and second class members. The consultation only has a month or so to run and if the Fabian’s conference is anything to go by the final conclusions could be dire.

For me the most depressing picture of the modern Labour Party was not painted by the members but by Hain himself. Fresh off the back of leading the party in Wales to success in the Welsh Assembly elections he urged delegates not to Twitter one statement because he’d never said that and refused to make another because he was scared of what the party hierarchy would say. He even talked of a key Labour committee where he and other members were not allowed to exchange email addresses as they weren’t to communicate with each other. If they had anything to say to each other, and preferably they didn't, it should be done through party HQ.

One of Hain’s big ideas for engaging with the public is to copy from the US Democrats the “joggers for Obama”. I say it is his big idea for he pushed it three times at least. If Labour believes the “Millipedes” are going to sprint the party to victory at the next election they face many years in opposition.

The Labour movement was forged by men and women with fires in their bellies who campaigned for social justice. The issues have changed but the need for passion hasn’t. The party has no place in modern day politics but Labour has.

The traditional canvasser is greeted on the doorstep with best indifference at worst hostility. The door knocking is dismissed by voters because it is a once every four or five year event and for the rest of the time they are ignored.

The new political agenda is not being set in the USA but on the streets not by teams of canvassers but by the people of Arab nations. It is people power in its rawest state fuelled by the explosion of the social media. The challenge for the Labour Party is to adapt to a world where nearly everybody has a mobile phone and almost every household is connected to the internet. That is where the future elections will be fought and won without a jogger in sight.

Cable theft: I should add the key note speech at the Fabian’s conference was made by Andy Burnham reflecting on the general election defeat, the results of the recent 2011 elections and the strategy for recovery. His subsequent session of engagement with the audience was bizarrely interrupted by the surprise arrival of Lib Dem minister Vince Cable. Cable then high jacked the remainder of the Burnham’s session, overran in to Hain’s and stole the headlines in the Fabian Society’s blog on the conference. A blog which incidentally totally ignores Hain’s speech on ‘refounding Labour’ and the consultation process.