New Labour – Prog Gold

Why Labour? Why now?

Published on May 17, 20101 Comment

Justin asks what has changed in Labour that you should rejoin it:

Can New Labour remodel itself as â€˜progressiveâ€™ (whatever that means these days) even if it wanted to? This is what puzzled me about the people who crashed the New Labour website the other night in their stampede to rejoin the party. Nothing has changed just because Gordon Brown has shuffled off to spend more time with his sulk. Does a Miliband or a Balls have the emotional intelligence to notice and care about this stuff, let alone point it out?

The rush to (re)join Labour is proof of two things: visceral hatred of Tories in government and the ongoing failure to establish a proper leftwing alternative to Labour. It’s true that all the bad authoritarian, warmongering impulses of New Labour still exist, but I think people felt they had no choice. It is a reasonable assumption to think that bad as New Labour was, the Tories will be worse and with the Liberals in bed with them, the only place left is Labour…

Labour was awful when it came to civil rights, authoritarian and downright evil in places (War on Iraq, treatment of refugees), but for better or worse is still seen as slightly less evil than the Tories — the memories of what they did to the working classes the last time they were in power still remain.Labour quite frankly is the lesser of two evils, despised on what they did in the past thirteen years but few people have any illusions the Tories would’ve behaved better, which why now Labour has been punished people instinctively flow back towards it.

This may be a blessing in disguise, if an organised left can be established in the party to take it back from the Blairites/Brownies, but it will take years. Tony and Gordon’s acolytes are too firmly entrenched, hold all the positions of power in the party to be quickly gotten rid off. The next election will be crucial: if New Labour is still in power in the party and win the election, they will never be removed.

You can compare it with the Democratic Party in the US: after Bush stole the elections in 2000, and especially after 2002/03 when there was a huge antiwar movement with no real political home, there was a chance to move the Democrats to the left, but the centrists won the powerstruggle, sidelined the activists and just waited until the Republicans became unpoplar enough to lose the election.

A leftward turn is needed for Labour, but it can only be forced upon the party. Those who joined out of disappointment with the Lib-Dems need to be politcally active in the party to do so. Now’s the chance to win the party back.

Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow

Published on April 20, 2010

Openess, New Labour style: a Times reporter “stalks” Gloria de Piero not to talk about her massive norks, but what she could actually do for her chosen constituency, but isn’t recieve gratefully:

â€œWhat on earth are you doing here?â€ she asks. I tell her I thought Iâ€™d come and see how things were going. â€œBut I donâ€™t understand why youâ€™re here,â€ she says again. â€œWeâ€™re only doing regional press. We canâ€™t do an interview. Weâ€™ve been through this.â€

I know. I donâ€™t want an interview. I just want to see how the campaign is going.

[…]

When I say that not only is it actually happening, but also that it is actually happening to candidates all across the country and that she should probably be able to handle this, not only as a potential MP but also as a former political journalist, she rounds on me and says: â€œIâ€™ve had requests from every national newspaper. Observer, Guardian, Mail. No, no, no. Youâ€™ve all submitted your requests and weâ€™ve been through the process and weâ€™re not doing anything . . .â€

The obsession of the British media with del Piero’s breats is obnoxious enough, but what’s worse is to realise that this sort of misguided attention is exactly what politicians want. Far better to fight a battle on the question of whether or not having done allegedly softcore naughty pictures at age fifteen makes you an unsuitable candidate than whether or not your politics are any good…

Comment of The Day: Redacted Holiday Fun

Published on June 19, 2009

From The Guardian comments pages –

UpsideDownCakeEater
19 Jun 09, 1:02am (about 6 hours ago)

Seen the claim from the PM and the Speaker when both attended â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ in â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ paying Â£ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ.â–ˆâ–ˆ just to watch two â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ. Both claimed Â£ â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ.â–ˆâ–ˆ as though they actively took part ?
Shocking.

What’s â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ ? We might well ask.

If it weren’t for the Daily Telegraph’s uncensored leaks, for all we’d know of it â–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆâ–ˆ could have been anything, from a Harrods rocking horse to a box of man-size Pampers to an Agent Provocateur gimp mask.

At least if you’re on holiday and it rains this week there’s no need to be bored; you can always play redaction bingo and insert your own words. All those blacked out spaces leave lots of scope for the imagination and reading censored expenses claims is much more entertaining that way. Holiday fun for all the family!

Shuffle Bored Already

Published on June 5, 2009

Alan Johnson is to become the new home secretary, Radio 5 Live has just announced; I wonder what that means for his reported leadership campaign?

No news on Alistair Darling as yet.

As though a reshuffle will make any difference at all; Labour’s ship’s sunk, no matter how many times they rearrange the deckchairs.

Exeutnt Exit The Chipmunk Queen

Published on June 3, 2009

Hazel Blears has resigned, to spend more time with her family. Poor bloody family.

Update

That was very well timed of her, to go just as the breakfast media had pretty much concluded that all that was needed to shift Brown was one last heave. The sisterhood are getting their revenge – Hewitt, Smith and Beverly Hughes yesterday, Blears today. But will it be enough? Will Harriet Harman also have to go before someone close to Brown has the guts to stop threatening and actually stick the knife in?

I predict the next to jump overboard will be either Tessa Jowell or Caroline Flint. Come on, then, ladies.

III

I’ve changed the blogpost title; was trying to be clever. Fail.