Unifying Lines: the case for Labour in 2010 should be about justice and continued reform

The Labour movement column

By Anthony Painter / @anthonypainter

One of the oldest adages in British politics is that oppositions don’t win elections, governments lose them. It is verging on banality to even write it. And yet, the closing months of 2009 have seen the government’s strategy seemingly resting on the diametric opposite of this. Its positioning and strategy has been about deflecting attention onto the Tories.

What has been the result? Well, taking an average of the poll score in November and December from UK Polling Report we can see that Labour has gone from an average of 27% in November to 27.7% in December. Hardly earth shattering. And the Conservatives? They’ve gone from 39.2% to 40% from November to December. Does ‘class war’ work? Judge for yourself.

There are five short months, in probability, until the election. There is only one thing that will secure a victory for Labour. That’s the government making a case for why it has the leadership, competence, and vision to guide the UK through what will inevitably be a choppy and challenging four or five years.

This is my fifty-first article for LabourList this year. It is to a piece I wrote in October that I wish to return. It is where I called on the Prime Minister to display humility about Labour’s record but also to challenge the opposition leaders to a series of Douglass-Lincoln style Town Hall debates. I ventured to craft a draft speech for the Prime Minister and after seeing the return of class and dividing line politics over the last few weeks, I would stand by every word in that speech:

These paragraphs seem particularly relevant:

“Those British values of basic decency, mutuality and generosity – shared across these Isles – are why we could not just stand by and watch millions plummet into unemployment, destitution and desperation. Our opponents – the Conservatives – would have taken undue risks that would have led and could still lead to economic calamity.”

“I like and respect the Leader of the Opposition: he is a family man; he has faced struggles in life; I don’t doubt his commitment to the NHS; I don’t accept that just because he attended Eton that disqualifies him from having a genuine desire to act in the public interest.”

“But on the big calls, he’s got it wrong. And he continues to get it wrong. Because he blames government for all our ills, it blinds him to the possibility that by acting together we can really improve the lives of all.”

“Perhaps you don’t accept this. But I ask just one thing: let’s lift our politics up over the coming months. This is a destiny election. Our vision of the future of Britain is radically different to our opponents.”

Instead of this approach – provoking an enlightening national conversation – Labour has returned to ‘dividing line’ politics. What’s more, the political divide locks us into somewhere just below 30% of the electorate.

Now, in a very short space of time Labour must return to ‘unifying line‘ politics. Failure to do so leaves the party as a sitting duck – a easy sucker punch for the Tories would be to point to a government that was seeking to turn people against one another at a time when national leadership was required. Not good.

Next year’s election will be a change election. That doesn’t mean that Labour doesn’t stand a chance. It absolutely does. But even if the economy recovers strongly, a powerful case will have to be made for another Labour term – and it wont be secured just by recanting past achievements. Rather, a powerful case for a fourth term will have to be articulated – there’s no way of deflecting away from that basic reality.

What might be the elements of this vision?

* Firstly, a new economy built on long-term value, investment and commitment rather than making a quick and reckless buck. That means General Motors, Rolls Royce, Jaguar Land Rover but also green tech, biotech and creative media and communication. It means fusing our research brilliance with commercial dynamism. It means encouraging broader ownership so workers of all types have more of say.

* Secondly, public services have to become locally embedded. They need to respond better to individual needs where patients, parents, residents (in the case of housing or long-term care) and users of all types have a greater say over the services they receive with professionals freed to meet those individual needs. Stakeholders – users, professionals, members of the local community, other service providers – must have a greater say of how local services are delivered. Mutualist models will help with this. Active welfare must become proactive, with skills needs for each individual identified prior to potential unemployment upon which it must be even more active.

* Thirdly, politics must be reformed. House of Lords Reform, and a broader Bill of Rights (which includes obligations alongside rights) and a referendum on electoral reform are all commitments that shoul be made. There needs to be a broader constitutional convention with a simple brief: to recommend on formal changes to the UK constitution to secure a healthy, involved, 21st century British democracy.

* Finally, the importance of an active, influential Britain will be underlined as we face a common terrorist threat, are imperiled by climate change, interlocked in mutual economic dependence, and have profound obligations to the developing world. Without influence in the European Union – which should be reformed and democratised further – we will have no influence anywhere else. We are no longer global leaders. But we can be active and good global citizens and we should not shy away from that.

There. Why should Labour have a fourth term? Because we need new economic opportunity and security, twenty-first century public services, a more democratic politics, and an influential Britain. It’s not about toffs and Tories at all. It’s about Labour, justice, and a fairer Britain.

Finally, I would like to thank the many people who read and comment on my columns. I enjoy reading your comments immensely and it is clear that Alex has succeeded in creating a genuinely political community on-line. Credit to him. Keep coming back in 2010, it is going to be an enormous year for LabourList. Thank you and enjoy the final few days of 2009.