Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has predictably ditched the dividing lines between his party and the Tories which made some Labour voters switch at the last General Election. Scrapping the policy on care for the elderly and tuition fees was not "grown-up poliics." It was a white flag of surrender to neo-liberalism.
The good news for Labour is that his sharp turn to the right will do the Fibs no favours whatsoever. The bad news that Labour is still hell-bent on sticking to the Tory cuts agenda.
Last night on Newsnight doyenne politicians Prescott and Hattersley were steadfastly loyal but also singularly blinkered in their dogged assertions that Labour still stands for a different way of governing. How Mandelson, chief architect of the GE strategy, praises Thatcher and continues to bang the New Labour drum.
I think it's excellent the coup led by Hoon, Hewitt and Charles Clarke died in the water. But what we need, as left Mps and trade union leaders are pointing out, is real policy change which helps, to use the cliche, "the many not the few." and which will bring our core voters back
The PLP most move fast to make the General Election campaign one which puts clear red water between Labour and the Tories. With the Lib Dems giving up any claim to being left-of-centre, now is the time for Labour to seize the moment.
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1 comment:
Agreed, but sadly, they won't. So we have three parties who just reflect different parts of the same spectrum. No real choice
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