Already, in these early days of a leadership campaign many people within our party are vilifying others, questioning their commitment and loyalty and hurling abuse. This cannot go on. If we are going to succeed we need a debate on policy, not on personal animus.
It is a fact that there is a left wing and a right wing of our party – neither has all the answers, neither side saw the huge collapse on May 7th coming and neither side can be allowed to stop the other contributing to our fight back in the next months and years.
Firstly, we are already seeing a fight over the word “aspiration” – a fight that totally misses the point. Aspiration isn’t left or right, it is universal. I defy you to find any person in this country who doesn’t want more; more for themselves, more for their families, more for their community. But the point about aspiration is it’s not what it means to the right or the left – the point is what it means to the city lawyer, the office worker, the nurse, the stay at home parent, the person in the job centre. Which is quite simply what we have missed in the last five years.
We must not fight about who’s definition is best, but listen to those voters who when it came to it, couldn’t bring themselves to put an “X” next to the Labour rose. This is the only way we will win in 2020 – it is the only way we will win in the future full stop.
Secondly, politics aren’t most people’s primary interest; something those of us in “the bubble” forget far too easily. It’s not about specifics on economic models or EU reform or really the specifics of the cuts. When people have a little time to spend listening to us what they need to hear are politics of hope and aspiration, and something they can put their trust in.
We lost this election due to a combination of losing the economic argument in 2010 and failing to give a strong, overarching message of hope and aspiration – not because our policies were necessarily incorrect.
It is in the interest of everyone who wants to see the party rise from the ashes of 2015, that we unite around this message of hope and aspiration; to give hope to the most hard-pressed in our society and aspiration and confidence to people who want to build a business or buy a home or send their children to university.
We will only form another government when we can represent every strata of our society. That is the only way we will help those who need help the most.
We cannot spend the next few months in a mortal battle between left and right – something that is only inward looking. We must spend the next months discussing how we create a platform that can reach everyone in this country, not just 31%. We need the support of the whole nation to build a society fair for all.
So, let’s unite and fight for a Britain that does deserves better.
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