Kellner: we must start thinking about opposition

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Peter Kellner of YouGov has an important piece in the Fabian Review conference edition website today, which argues that Labour must begin seriously thinking about how it might respond to electoral defeat, a Conservative government and potential divisions in the party.

While he says “a Tory victory is far from certain”, he adds:

“But, by the same token, we cannot ignore the danger that the Conservatives might win, and banish Labour to opposition. For obvious reasons, we can’t set up seminars and training sessions to prepare for life after defeat with the ardour that we prepared before 1997 for life in government. This would send out the message that we had thrown in the towel. But unless we start thinking, quietly but seriously, about how to act if we do find ourselves in opposition, then we could end up turning a one-off defeat into long-term disaster.“

Citing the post-election disunity of 1979, Kellner writes that Labour must not foget its achievements, but rather seek to find the right platform to build on them:

“There is much to be proud of – far more than in 1979. For a start, we should remember that Labour won three clear majorities in a row: something the party has never achieved before. And plenty of good things have been done over the past 12 years: the minimum wage, devolution, shorter hospital waiting lists, better schools, less crime, tax credits, winter fuel allowance, Sure Start, NHS Direct, greater employment rights, civil partnerships, freedom of information, free museum entry, right to roam, much more overseas aid, many more women MPs and ministers than ever before – and so on. So: any post-defeat fight back must start with pride in Labour’s achievements. But that’s only a start; it’s not a strategy. If we do nothing more than remind ourselves and the public of the successes of the past 12 years, we will be condemned as a nostalgic, backward-looking party with nothing fresh to say about the future.”

Read Peter Kellner’s full article on Fabian wesbsite Next Left here.

I’ve also written about this in the past, as has LabourList columnist Paul Richards.