I was not in the conference hall for Mandelson's speech - not excactly on the top of my to do list yesterday. But according to reports I have had from those who were, he was received rapturously.
Delegates who have been missing Blair's bravura performances were no doubt entranced to see another great political vaudeville act. But thousands more in the Party continue to fight Mandelson's privatisation plans and "intensely relaxed" attitude towards the rich.
Tomorrow, the leadership will ty and quell hopes of making the elections to the National Policy Forum OMOV and are trying to pressurise the unions to cave in. Let's hope for once the unions stick to their guns - and their promises to the grassroots.
Mandelson's message may have been slick and assured. However, at last night's LRC rally MPs John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn and Katy Clark spelt out a rather starker message. Which is this - unless every MP goes out into their constituencies and holds true to the policies which help our core voters - and continues to fight within the Party for them - we face oblivion. My thanks too, to the young delegate from Brighton Pavilion, a staunch campaigner for Nancy Platts, who was so cheered up by the fact at last he'd bumped into some socialists here in Brighton. There are not, amid the suits and boots, many of us around.......
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
HAS LABOUR LEARNED TO LOVE MANDY?
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5 comments:
Perhaps you could define what you mean by "socialist" before accusing the vast bulk of people attending Conference as not falling into that category. At present you appear to be making the definition on the basis of dress sense without appreciating that it is perfectly respectable for socialists to dress smartly when representing others within the Party, and indeed to show some respect to those people who we might wish to vote for us. Isn't consideration for others rather than oneself meant to be a socialist trait?
Interesting how you are prepared to stick the boot into the Party while at the same time chairing the "Not the Labour Party" Conference - which i daresay was full of the usual scruffy non achievers who don't care much for general society but are more than happy to badge themselves as socialists.
I notice that
Scruffy non-achievers...... says it all really. What a contemptible attitude.... and what a lack of sense of humour. And BTW I think the Labour Left cares rather more for general society, as you put it, than the suits. Many of whom have only one care- which is their own self-advancement.
I think you will find that it is you that showed contempt for the majority of people attending Conference first, who happen to be memebers of the same party - and then show a lack of humour when it is pointed out that you have reduced your idelogical disagreements to the clothing worn. Don't give it out if you cannot take it I'm afraid.
Perhaps you could recognise that there are socialists among the ranks of the many who disagree with you and the LRC - and a few of them probably wear suits and boots too. It is really incredibly arrogant to think that you have the right to define who is and who isn't a socialist.
You also fail to recognise that there are many on the "old" Left who still believe that if you are representing someone you have a responsibility to look smart on their behalf.
As for being non acheivers - perhaps you should reflect how much your strand of socialism will ever achieve without making compromises with those with whom you disagree and regularly subject to your bile. Have you ever noticed how many of the great "socialist" events that you celebrate and mythologise (e.g Miners Strike, the contents of the 1983 Manifesto) actually resulted in failure. I daresay if you had been around at the time you would have been castigating Nye for the compromises he made in order to set up the NHS.
BTW I think that you will find that the socialist high achiever Tony (no 2 since WW2 after that inveterate suit wearer Attlee?) was rather keen on taking off his suit and preforming in rolled up shirt sleeves.
Having read Michael Foot's superb biography, I think Nye castigated himself for the conpromises he had to make actually. But at least then prescriptions were free.
A for your comments re Blair he was a) not a socialist and b) rather keen on doing anything to promite himself as a man of the people. As we know, he was a highly privileged public schoolboy. And a consummate actor.
The problem is that the last 12 years, whilst having not been a total failure, simply haven't achieved in areas where a lot more could have been done
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