Much of the press is rather excitedly reporting that the Conservative Party has a lead over Labour in some opinion polls today, even though the lead is not confirmed by all polls, and is not enough for it to beat Labour in terms of number of seats likely to be won at a general election. That excitement does, of course, only confirm the political bias of much of the UK's press, but the issue is, nonetheless, of significance for those who campaign on poverty, as I do, rather than those with party political allegiance or membership, which I do not have.
The fact that when real wages have fallen 9% since 2008 and at a time when the economy is still struggling to recover for the benefit of most in the UK, and at a time when so many are suffering the consequences of austerity the leading member of our current coalition government can be in the lead in the polls is quite extraordinary. That is not because of what that says about the record of the government itself. On the economy, on jobs, on earnings, on social security, education, health and so many other issues this government has been disastrous for many people in the country. Opportunity has been lost by many, and hope by a great many more. The continuing curse of mass youth unemployment is evidence enough of that. This lead is, instead, extraordinary because of what it says about the quality of political opposition in this country.
Leave aside for a minute the tactics of the Labour party — including the bizarre decision to issue a party election broadcast that was an extended ad hominem attack on Nick Clegg last week that only succeeded in demonstrating deep insecurity in the Labour leadership and which spectacularly misfired.
Leave aside too the UKIP effect, although without it Labour would be much further behind, without a doubt.
Instead let's recognise that once the UKIP bubble bursts (as I still think it will, just as the LibDem bubble did before it) we are effectively living in what is still, despite the benefits of so many other parties, in a democracy dominated by two political parties with others occasionally offering pin pricks of discomfort to both.
And then note that both those parties offer remarkably similar policies.
And then you have the answer to three questions. The first is why Labour and Conservatives are neck and neck. The second is why any alternative looks attractive — hence the UKIP bubble that has followed the bubble and demise of the LibDems. Thirdly we then know why so few, and most especially the young, have real interest in voting in this country.
If Labour were to be a real opposition it would oppose. It would present the country with an alternative economic policy. It would have a clear political vision. It would stand up for the interests of, dare I say it, those who seek to sell their labour to earn a living. It would argue for the redistribution of wealth. It would promote full employment. It would be seeking to transform the NHS, and not just argue for a pitifully small investment to coerce GPs to offer appointments within 48 hours. It would be challenging the City. It would be clear on the reform of banking. Its tax policy would be unambiguously progressive. Its stand on tax abuse would be obvious (and where was its front bench on Gary Barlow?). Its willingness to invest in social housing would be as clear as the way it intended to pay for it. PFI would be under challenge. Labour would have an industrial policy. Immigration would be an issue on which it was clear. Its approach to the EU would be unambiguous - and I have no real clue what it is. Flood defences would be high on its list of priorities. Green energy as a source of new employment and for the sake of generations to come would be high on its agenda. Rail nationalisation would have unambiguous backing. I would like to suggest many ideas in my book The Courageous State would be in the Labour manifesto.
But they won't be. That manifesto will offer gestures, austerity, cuts and a reckless promise to balance the budget which the current government, despite its rhetoric, has gone nowhere near trying to fulfil but which Labour would seek to achieve as a form of neoliberal virility test (and if you doubt me remember what Ken Clarke said of Labour's commitment to his spending plans in 1997 — which he had no intention of being bound by).
No wonder people have doubt about voting Labour. As an opposition it's not working. As a party of the left it lacks a great deal of credibility. It is not an alternative. And it has little time left to change that, and what worries me is that as a result those in need of representation may not be heard as a result.
This is a country where too many are dispossessed. Who will represent them if Labour won't? That's a question in need of an answer.
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I really laughed about the visit to the Drs within 48 hours. We all know we can visit a Doctor within hours. The biggest problem in the NHS are the people who don’t cancel and don’t turn up. Ask any Doctor or hospital how many don’t and you will be shocked.
However we saw last election the Lib Dems who were going to do so well and be in power by themselves. Which was fine until the people who said they would didn’t vote the same way. I suspect that the Ukip is the latest party to have this obsession.
As for the Labour party being a party of the people. Just a look at their front bench shows how out of touch they are. They aren’t achievers in business, instead they are all wealthy and well educated people. Some posher than the tories, who Labour despise.
Actually, ask any doctor and they’ll tell you the system only works because people don’t turn up. If they did they could not do the work demanded of them
lol, visit doctor in hours!
yeah if you win the morning phone lottery. Reality, took me nearly two weeks a while ago.
Not my experience, I have to say
not one to give to much credit to politicians but if Miliband is making it an issue its probably because it no’s plenty of other people’s experience. I volunteer for nhs but its got plenty things wrong with it.
Thank you so much for writing this Richard as it gives me a little piece of comfort that there are some people in this country who see the way out of the austerity forced on the poor and vulnerable. To paraphrase Mr Marx – the rich will always avoid a crisis if it can get the poor to pay for it!
Are you sure you do not want the job as Fulham manager?
or Norwich? as Sergeant Wilson would say ‘Is that wise, sir?’
stick to what you do well!!
A searing critique of the Labour Party, Richard, and rightly so. The opportunity to develop distinctive, progressive policies goes begging (e.g. read Polly Toynbee in today’s Guardian in which she exposes the profit to be made from children in care, and the madness of the privatisation agenda more generally, for an example of a scandal that ought to inspire an urgent and unambiguous policy response from Labour (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/13/troubled-children-investment-extreme-britain-outsourcing-care) but all we get are pathetic attempts at populism, such as the latest manipulation of GPs.
But there’s also another dimension to why Labour are doing so badly and I’m afraid that comes down to personalities. Firstly, Ed Miliband’s leadership is simply not “fit for purpose”. In another time and place, perhaps, but not here and not now. Secondly, too many of the shadow cabinet are simply invisible and/or ineffective. And thirdly – and encompassing the above – too many are tainted with the real or perceived failures of the Brown government in particular and the Blair/New Labour project more generally, and the Tories and Tory press will milk that for as long as they can.
It’s too late to do anything about that now, even if Labour had the courage, so the die is cast. We’ll see what comes out of the local and EU elections, but the best we can hope for in 2015 is, I think, I minority Labour government. Or – and it pains me to say this – in a coalition with what few Lib Dems MPs remain.
This is going to be painful, as you say
Labour introduced Serco along with getting the ££££,s from Capita, G4S john Reid , and Labour party management chair Charlie Allen appointed by goofy Miliband, not only is he Virgin, goldman sachs etc but chairman of ISS the top outsourcing firm 2013, for all you fake labour socialists ISS have recently been floated, don’t forget your shares 🙂
This is a worrying trend and with a year to go to the General Election the combination of a manufactured recovery and a partisan media could hand the Tories a majority. Add to that, if idiots like John Cridland persuade the Scots to vote for independence could lock in a Tory majority. If that happens I confidently predict that there will be a Yes vote to leave the EU and the last barrier to the complete neoliberal takeover will be removed.
Will people be prepared to take to the streets if that happens?
Will people be prepared to take to the streets if that happens? –
My 40+ son raised a point to ponder- what we will get on the streets is the wreckers not the builders. he envisages the ‘Chicago riots’ writ large and murderous. To his knowledge there is no shortage of people with the desire to destroy and ‘get their own back’ so we get a civil uprising with no end in view except tearing down. Given the propensity for violence on TV I fear he may be right.
It’s clear to me we have a one party state run by the City and various Oligarchies. parliament is now barely more than way of raising revenue from tourists and visiting school parties. Ministers are so much like puppets of neo-liberal interests that you can see the strings like Thunderbirds characters. Labour’s lack of courage is beyond despicable with voters now forced to channel their anger through UKIP which will represent corporate interests just as much as the others but with xenophobia thrown into the mixture.
The curious narcolepsy of the populace still mystifies me who seem zombified to the extent that I could almost believe that ‘they’ are putting something in the water!
What more do we need before people react:
Worse housing costs?
More zero hours contracts
Youth unemployment beyond 20%
Terrible care for our elderly provided by the invisible hand of the free market?
banks controlling the money system and dictating terms to the bank of England?
More of the fallacy of composition argument that Governments are households?
The collapse of social housing and the rise of the super-rentier landlords?
I never thought I’d witness such a collapse of social purpose.
Nor me, Simon. Even when Thatcher was in power I never thought it would come to this. But then again, nor did I appreciate how rapidly and to what extent big business/the 1% would capture democracies across the globe and turn them to their own self interest, and of politicians’ cowardliness and compliance in the face of such a challenge.
Irrespective of things that happen, there will be no exit from the EU.
Both main parties are pro-EU, the conservatives more than labour.
Both of the leaders are of the same mind.
The electors matter not. That would seem to be the one common theme of both main parties.
The reality of the EU being run by non-elected placemen from the financial ‘nation’ should be enough to pursuade anyone of the extinction of democracy. We go to the polls soon to elect impotent over-paid nonentities.
trouble is many of those on the receiving end of austerity dare not vote for fear of their name/address being sold to debt collectors via the electoral register. i’m in this position myself and have known many people like myself – poor, carrying unpaid debts from earlier in life and effectively unable to vote as a consequence.
and so why would politicians bother trying to appeal to the young and the poor? its the electoral system that needs to change. if people could vote online knowing their address would be kept private, politician would be singing a very different tune.
Labour has betrayed its grass roots and forsaken the ordinary working man and woman and their needs in favour of the oligarchs and their whims.
They are kowtow to the failed doctine of neo-liberalism rather than challenge this head on with courage and forceful economic arguments.
To start with will someone please lend Ed Balls a copy of “Capital in the 21st Century” to read;-)
I had Steve Keen send Balls ‘Debunking Economics’. There’s no sign that he read that.
🙂
A democratic vacuum is something that revolution abhors and seeks to fill; the only way to true democracy is for revolution to fill that void.
I am not a revolutionary – and never will be
The term ‘revolution’ is often misused, often referring to violent uprising and upheavals that replace one elite for another and with societies often returning to square one. And ‘revolution’ means, literally, going full circle. So maybe we need to come up with a new term to describe what is really an on-going process, not an event, something which people may be so immersed in that they don’t actually realise it’s happening, leaving future generations to determine whether ‘revolution’ has occurred. It could be that the world has never had a true ‘revolution’ in the history of human kind; it could be that the end point of ‘revolution’ could be closer to what some people call ‘Armageddon’; a final reckoning between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ with ‘good’ being the final victor.
That’s worthwhile thinking