Standing up for decency

Paul Richards’ Conference Notebok

As I told Carolyn Quinn on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour on Sunday night, Brown’s speech today needs to have tackling anti-social behaviour at its heart. The Respect Agenda, which was launched after the 2005 election, empowered local people to take on the noisy neighbours, feral children, street gangs and drugs dealers who plague many streets and estates. By recognising the bravery of people who stood up to the thugs in the Taking a Stand Awards, those who hitherto felt powerless could sense that they would get some support.

It was a mistake when Ed Balls down-graded Respect after 2007, and when Louise Casey was taken off the project. It was tactically foolish to brief newspapers that Respect was being sidelined, as a way of showing a break with Blairism.

This afternoon, with the nation’s thoughts on the tragic deaths of Francecca Hardwick and Fiona Pilkington, burnt to death after they could take it no more, Gordon Brown needs to address anti-social behaviour head-on. It’s the right thing to do. It gives local councillors and candidates proof that Labour still understands people’s concerns. It shows that politics can actually solve problems. It wrong-foots the Liberal Democrats, who are soft on anti-social behaviour. Most of all it shows the public that we are on their side.

OMOV battle ahead
There’s a growing head of steam behind the idea that the CLP reps on Labour’s national policy forum should be elected by one-member-one-vote (OMOV). The idea has generated support from the unions, Compass, Progress, and others. OMOV is one of those totemic issues.

It was the reason for John Prescott’s impassioned plea to the 1993 Labour Party conference to support John Smith’s proposals to introduce OMOV for parliamentary selections. For modernising pressure groups such as the Labour Co-ordinating Committee (LCC) it was an article of faith.

Now, the issue is being debated once again. The leadership are not happy, because it will make the CLP reps on the NPF harder to ‘fix’. An anonymous leaflet has been circulated around conference opposing the idea, with the No 10 political office’s fingerprints all over it. But it’s an almost impossible one to argue against. Opposing OMOV is like opposing democracy, for fear that the wrong people might get elected. When conference decides, it should choose a healthy dose of OMOV over the old-fashioned political fix.

Out and about at Brighton
Anyone wanting to know what ministers will be saying in their speeches need only to hang around the Sky stand. They’ve been getting a live feed from the conference hall and broadcasting it, including Ed Miliband, Peter Mandelson and others practicing their speeches. Journalists got hold of Peter Mandelson’s ‘I did not choose this party, I was born into it’ line 24 hours in advance.

Pity more Michael White, snapped asleep at the back of the hall. All a bit much for him.

Conference joke: what’s the difference between an optimist and a pessimist? An optimist thinks the conference hall is half-full.

Rubbish hotel award goes to the Grand for stopping serving lunch at 2pm, despite lots of hungry people on expenses wanting to eat after attending fringe meetings. Plaudits to the Arrogant Frog restaurant for keeping their kitchens open all afternoon, and being packed out as a result.

Finally, there’s only one event today: Gordon’s big speech. Watch out for a ‘bring it on’ moment when he challenges Cameron to a televised debate.