In the end I did not stay up to see the result of the Glasgow East by-election. Maybe I knew it already. And what is the poiont of sitting up until the early hours to make yourself miserable. The SNP's victory by 365 votes is quite simply a catastrophic blow from which Gordon Brown will find it very difficult indeed to recover. On these levels of waning support, even he would find it tricky retaining his seat. So Labour has a choice. Change direction - or die. It really is that bad. It won't matter tuppence who is on the NEC , or what amendments we put to the NPF, if we hve no MPs or representation in Parliament. The original Labour Representation Committee, set up a hundred years ago, was exactly what it said on the tin. A group there to promote the interests of Labour. Not capotal, not the bosses, not Middle England. Now even the heartlanders, the core voters, the working-class, see no point in voting Labour. Or. at least, they wanted to hit us where it hurts. At the ballot box.
Friday, 25 July 2008
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But if you exclude "middle England", you exclude most of the country.
Enjoy your rest but be assured, things will be even worse when you return!
What a nightmare, if Gordon does not go by christmas then the Labour party will be dead and buried in the next election.
"So Labour has a choice. Change direction - or die."
Well, a possible alternative is 'change direction and die'.
Its not a case of excluding anyone - you make the mistake of thinking that 'middle England' is necessarily sympathetic to the market.
In this instance, clearly it was the SNP who were putting forward a social democratic programme. They won. And I'm not surprised.
David,the message is quite clear. The Labour Party is finished unless it changes to become a recognisably left of centre party again. There is little more now to be said.I cannot belueve that MPs will allow Gordon Brown to carry on for much longer unless they collectively share a death wish. The problem is of course that if he is replaced with another New Labour Minister then there is no point in change. Tony Woodley is right in today's Guardian - expel the Blairites like Purnell and Hutton from the Cabinet. It would be a start
Mike is right to point out the social democratic credenticals of the SNP, mind you when your oppostion is the New Labour party it is not all that hard.
I can only speak for myself but I think we really need an urgent review of policy. I'm no moderate, but I think most hard lefties would support a move from the Neoliberal agenda of New Labour and more of an embrace of Crosland based socialism. OK its not the Bennite new world I would like to see, but to me it is still recognisably socialist unlike new labour. God only knows what the old man would have thought of this shower in office.
we need to expel a few right wing labour mps for starters
Exactly. The point is that I AM a moderate social democrat and my views are a million miles away from Hutton and Purnell. They are Tory entryists, plain and simple, they worship the market uncritically - they shouldn't even be members of the Labour party, let alone cabinet ministers. The current problems can be traced back to the operation - and failure - of the market.
What does the Labour Party have that's worth fighting for ? Not its policies and programme, which are scarcely distinguishable from the Tories. Not its leadership. Even its name and history are now worthless, as Glasgow East shows that Labour is now utterly discredited in the eyes of working class people. No, all it has going for it are the good socialists who remain in the party. If only those socialists would commit themselves to working towards the creation of a new party of the working class.
What is likely to happen is a change of leader but not direction ==> death.
A change in direction may bring death but then there is the possibility of a rebirth.
Surely now is the very time that socialists within the Labour Party need to galvanise support FROM within. The votes for the SSP and Solidarity were miniscule.
We will achieve NOTHING by leaving the Paty now which, incidentally, does not suppport the policies touted by Purnell and Hutton who are, as you say, indistinguishable from the Tories.New Labour is truly dead. The Labour Party is not
Dangerous stuff I know the vast majority of MP's do back Purnell, in Wales the BBC contacted every single MP, and found they all agreed with Purnells Welfare reforms. One saying it was time that people realized you have no free rides. this from an MP who has done nothing all his life.
But hell even I back Labour to lose.
How can you say you'll achieve nothing by leaving the party ? You don't know unless you try. I think a coordinated exit for the right reasons of socialists and trade unionists could in itself have a positive impact. And a lot more could be done by working in a constructive way with left wingers of different political persuasions. I agree that the SSP and Solidarity are not the answer, but they could yet form part of the solution. You only have to look to the antiwar movement to see what the left can accomplish when it's united in purpose.
"Tony Woodley is right in today's Guardian - expel the Blairites like Purnell and Hutton from the Cabinet. It would be a start"
I'm not clear how this is directly relevant to the Party's predicament.
I don't think very many voters in Glasgow East went to the polls determined to register their discontent with Hutton and Purnell's recent speeches to Progress meetings.
Changing direction (or actually finding some direction) on policy is vital but blaming and sacking individual ministers is pointless.
It's a strategy being pushed by union leaders who still cling to the idea that Brown is fundamentally politically different from Blair, rather than a less talented politician pursuing very similar policies.
It's something they have to let themselves believe to avoid admitting they've been idiots to do so much of his dirty work over recent years - the latest General Secretary stitch-up being the most recent example.
Nick, people have tried leaving the Labour Party and founding "alternatives." Many times. Militant, Arthur Scargill, SP, George Galloway. Whaeever the power of their rhetoris, when push comes to shove all these adventures have been doomed to failure at the ballot box. Yes, Labour's going to get trashed at the ballot box next time anyway but let's not make it worse by urging what few socialist MPs are left to leave beforehand
The anti-war movemenr gained massive support in 2003 but I'm afraid to say that every demonstration the Stop The War Coalition organises just gets smaller and smallet. The anti-war movement, ultimately, failed to mobilise the support it undoubtedly had. Support I might say which continues inside Labour via Labour Against The war . Yes, trade union leaders had stupid illusuions in Brown. That doesn't mean they are not rught that the Balirites should go andf, frankly getting rid of Tories like Hutton and Purnell would get big cheers where I live. New workers party? Fine. Let's start re-building it from within labour. Not march off into oblivion - an oblivion even worse than the one which probably awaits in 2010. as for Mps backing Purnell and Hutton, I said the Party ,NOT the PLP. And MPs have spoken out against the welfare reforms
I'm sure getting rid of Hutton and Purnell would be popular with some activists and trade unionists but the question is what matters to voters.
I don't think it's the obscure individuals who deliver unpopular policies, it's the policies themselves.
Well, obviously, you would get rid of the policies too
Tories have stunt oustide warwick saying unions rule Labour, what a laugh
but when are we going to take on the Tories ????
when is the Left going to take on the Tories
Eighteen months ago few would have been assuming that Labour would lose in 2010. It's not all lost, surely?
I have little time for the Labour party that left me some years ago, but I do think that Cameron will be worse - especially if he thinks that he can get a large majority, rather than trying to sneak in, Swedish-style, by being very similar to New Labour. I am sure that the far right in the Tory Party will soon be urging it to move further Right, or will see to it that pressure is brought to bear once/if Cameron is in.
It will be worse under Cameron. Keep repeating that; Brown should. Time Cameron was pressed to sttae his policies. Who are you going to hammer first, Dave? Who will gain if you abolish inheritance tax? Aren't you going to introduce identity cards? Privatise the Post Office, our Forests, the BBC? Smash what is left of the public sector - and public sector pensions? And will you complete the NHS privatisation that New Labour has started?
Labour may be appalling, but the Tories will be even worse. I'm repeating myself, but it's a truth that should be repeated at every opportunity.
Incidentally, most of this is not Brown's fault, but Blair. Your legacy, Tony? The destruction of the Labour Party. Worse than Ramsay MacDonald, and you are already earning your place in the history books about traitors to the Labour movement.
Keep on blogging Susan!
I must say it could actually be worse. Does anyone REALLY think that David Miliband will get better ratings than the Gloomster ?
But I think you're being unfair to Blair. He is the reflection Britain wanted to see when it looked in the mirror. We wanted "Mr nice sweater" and now that nice Mr Cameron is wearing Blair's Boden chinos.
As for policies :
a) smoking ban - all those pubs, bingo halls and working men's clubs closed down
b) mass immigration and a cry of "racist" for any objectors - which by happy chance ....
c) brings - and keeps - working people's wages down ...
d) massive pay increases for the City, large company directors etc - producing asset inflation making it near-impossible for anyone on average wage to afford to buy a house AND start a family. The post-war property-owning democracy is dying.
e) more outreach workers and probation officers, and community sentences for the underclass yobs and smackheads who make so many working people's lives a misery
f) crap schools unless you can afford to buy in via postcode - for which see d)
g) high taxation for low wage earners - how can you tax someone on £6 an hour ?
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