To sustain itself in government, Labour has two fundamental tasks which Keir Starmer must grip in his speech at this week’s conference. First, convey to voters the government’s core political objectives. And second, ensure that Ministers deliver on their promises, particularly on the NHS.
To implement wide-ranging economic and public sector reforms, Labour will need a robust narrative that projects passion and purpose in the name of improved performance. So far, since its historic election victory, the messaging has been mostly one way, pointing towards years of doom and gloom, of cold winters and higher taxes.
The road ahead may well be tough, but to maintain momentum the destination should be clearly in sight. Ministers must articulate a practical, compelling, and optimistic story about the nation’s future under a Labour government. That story should be infused with values, in particular the ethical socialist values that are the foundation of the Party. And it should outline the principles, assumptions and evidence on which key decisions are based. Values and vision are important to expound internally too; they provide the framework that advisers, civil servants and Ministers use to prepare the ground for difficult decisions.
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‘Making the case for change based on values and vision’
The point is not to deploy vacuous Johnsonian ‘boosterism’. It is to ensure people understand the basis on which Labour is making tough fiscal choices. Any proposed change will prompt fear or mistrust.
Yet given the scale of the task, with a lacklustre economy and public institutions which are in survival mode, it is necessary to make the case for change based on values and vision.
Without that, the default position will be ministerial hand-wringing and plaintive explanations, which are unlikely to go down well with voters. The Winter Fuel Allowance row is just a mild foretaste of the challenges ahead.
‘Freedom cannot be limited to civil rights and market choice’
To convey purpose, Labour should continue to draw on its ethical socialist origins. Ethical socialism eschews the impersonal collectivism of the far Left and the individualism of the Right. Pre-dating the Labour Party but famously expounded by the Christian Socialist, Fabian and Labour thinker R.H. Tawney, it begins with people rather than policy, so it also stands against bland technocratic managerialism.
At its heart is a celebration of the high and equal worth of the individual, who is most likely to flourish in fellowship with their fellow human beings. Individual freedom and strong community go together, as do equality, dignity, and personal fulfilment. Yet freedom cannot be limited to civil rights and market choice. True freedom, for the ethical socialist, means freedom in the economic and social spheres of life. It means having a fair stake; of having some degree of control. It also means leading more contented and joyous lives.
‘Promoting business essential, but private sector must contribute to the common good’
This is a strong basis for a Labour government intent on delivering much heralded reforms. In a Fabian Society pamphlet published this week, we contend that vision, values, and reform should be brought together into a coherent project for power.
There is no doubt that economic reform is required, given low productivity and anaemic growth. Now is the time to get moving on radical economic and fiscal reforms. Yet Labour must avoid a trap it fell into when last in government of adopting a blanket pro-private sector worldview. Promoting business is essential, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurialism, but the private sector must also contribute to the common good and avoid exploiting people and the environment.
‘We don’t have to agree with everything someone believes to work together’
Labour needs to better understand how people come together in community; its approach to faith groups is an important example. Though religious belief has declined over recent decades, around half the population identifies with a particular faith. Faith groups can be viewed as a ‘constituency’, to be listened to, assured and, perhaps, appeased.
Or they can be understood as something deeper: people in the public square holding different worldviews with whom, nevertheless, we might establish common ground. Not simply as fellow anti-poverty marchers – although the churches powered the international development agenda during Labour’s last time in government – but as people helping the vulnerable locally and alleviating poverty. We don’t have to agree with everything someone believes to shake hands, to embrace, to work together.
Such has been the underinvestment, neglect, and capricious attitude of past Ministers that many of our public institutions are now suffering from an infectious institutional incapability. It is not simply that they are not delivering the services we need and expect. Some institutions, while containing dedicated professionals serving the public, have become unmoored from the focus on people and service. We have become used to ongoing scandals, some with tragic consequences. The most immediate include the scandals of social care and of long waiting lists of people in pain and suffering as NHS performance declines.
Meeting these and many other challenges requires a mission-driven government pursuing world-beating generational ambitions. Cabinet member responsibility should be clear, with the power and authority required to deliver. But to make progress, the destination needs to be articulated in a consistent and compelling way. That is a society in which everyone has the opportunity to flourish, where we lean against the forces of polarisation and inequality, and therefore where all citizens can lead happier, more fulfilled lives.
Power and prosperity – how a radical Labour government can transform Britain by Stephen Beer and Patrick Diamond is published by the Fabian Society. This article represents the authors’ personal views.
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