Progressive politics – the future

By Rachel Reeves

This week the Young Fabians, as part of their PPC Week, launch an exciting debate on the future of progressive politics. Bringing together a group of young Labour Parliamentary Candidates – including Emma Reynolds in Wolverhampton North East, Chris Ostrowski who fought the Norwich North by-election, and myself in Leeds West, the pamphlet the New Progressives: Voices of Labour’s Future, asks what the progressive challenges of the future are going to be in ten or twenty years time, and how we should respond to them.

Forecasting – and as an economist, I know this only too well – is never a successful exercise. However, as I look ahead, I see that increasingly the challenges we face are international. Building a stronger and more sustainable economy, tackling climate change and responding to the threats of global terrorism and failed states have all moved up the agenda and will define the it in the next decade. And they all need policy responses at a global level.

Recognising the internationalisation of the domain of challenges and opportunities, I believe our approach to the new agenda must be defined in two ways. First, it must be global and second – if it is to be progressive – it must focus on expanding opportunities, especially for the most marginalised, both at home and abroad, giving more people and communities opportunities to realise their potential.

But, if progressive values are going to succeed against a temptation to retreat inwards and to raise barriers between communities then we – as politicians, activists and citizens – need to make the case for global co-operation and enlightened internationalism.

Just and sustainable solutions to the challenges of global warming means recognising the impact of the policies and lifestyles in one country, especially in the rich world, on the most vulnerable communities and countries, a progressive agenda will involve remodelling our global financial and trade rules so that they serve people not profits. It means using the talents and energies of people from all walks of life. It also means giving thought to inter-generational justice. If we do not protect the planet then the quality of life of future generations will be impaired, reducing the ability of our children and grandchildren to realise their potential.

And, unless we tackle climate change it will be the poor who will find it hardest to adjust. In the developing world it is hard to lead a fulfilling live if your livelihood is destroyed and home flooded. In the developed world it is hard to fulfil your potential if more of your income is spent on heating and travel as the price of non-renewable fuels increase.

The challenges we face in relation to fixing the global economy similarly require global solutions. Regulation in one country will not do the trick, banks are internationally mobile, as we have seen through the credit crunch. It is the poor and low skilled who suffer most from economic instability – struggling to pay bills, being refused credit, or facing unemployment – or failing, in the case of many school leavers, to get a job in the first place. Progressives must reform the global economy with solutions which allow more people and communities to determine their own futures and map their own destinies.

Recognising that the challenges are global we must foster closer and more productive relationships with our international partners – including playing a central role in Europe. Progressive politicians must also push for democratic reform of the IMF and World Bank and we must use our position in the G8, G20 and UN Security Council to press for change. We need to see international institutions as an opportunity not a threat and in the best traditions of British internationalism. It is through these partnerships that we will extend opportunities and capabilities – the progressive ambition – in the twenty-first century.

The trend of globalisation will only intensify in the coming years. Through trade, financial arbitrage, migration and information technology, challenges, threats and opportunities will increasingly disregard national borders. To keep pace, progressives need to find new solutions in the emerging political, economic and social landscape. Working collectively, through international institutions and with new partners, we can find solutions that expand the set of opportunities, particularly to the most vulnerable.

But the debates will not always be easy, and if we are going to find long-term solutions we must build a consensus for progressive values and ideas. That is not a job that can be done just at international summits and conventions, but must be happening in our communities and town halls. Through this dialogue we can make the case for a fairer, more sustainable society where people from any background and community have the opportunity to map their own destiny and achieve their ambitions, harnessing progressive values to meet new challenges.

Download your copy of The New Progressives: Voices of Labour’s future.

If you are a young Prospective Parliamentary Candidate and would like to join the Young Fabians Candidates network please email James Green at jgreen@youngfabians.org.uk