‘Labour is building a visible, accountable and confident state’

I teach my three-year-old about politics by pointing at the Greater Manchester buses – bright yellow, bee logo and all. Because when someone asks, “what is politics for?” you really need something visible.

Since they were taken back into public control, these buses have been a clear sign that someone, somewhere is accountable for whether they actually show up. They have morphed from the ugly multicoloured branding of deregulated private companies, to swarming bees representing a new, confident municipal authority. 

And as half the Labour Party descends on the Makerfield by-election, they will be a constant reminder of where you are. A humble bus is so much more than a way of getting from A to B. It’s a connection to a wider region and to a place’s identity. It is a potent, ever-present symbol of an accountable, active state. It is a small thing to cling to, but these days don’t we all need it?

Because the feeling across the country is despondent – verging on despair. The rocket fuel may be the crisis in living standards. But beyond that, people of all ages and all backgrounds are also asking: “what is politics for?” Because the state has become invisible to them. Nobody, it seems, is in control. Nobody is accountable. There are no reminders of where we are, or who we are. The same shops, the same cars, the same streets can be found anywhere.

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For many, the NHS is one of the few remaining signs of a visible state. It occupies a prominent space in our imaginations, as well as caring for us when we are at our most vulnerable. But as any MP will tell you, it often doesn’t feel democratically accountable. The move to abolish the unaccountable NHS England was significant, and re-established an important principle – the state must be more accountable, as well as visible.

But for others, the state is visibly absent. People see images of small boats crossing the channel or clips of disorder, and hear reports of crime going unpunished. For them, this just goes to show that the state can’t even perform that most fundamental of tasks – controlling our borders and keeping us safe.

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These things are connected. We have seen the retreat of the visible state from our everyday lives, which has left in its place a vacuum of uncertainty and anxiety. And that space is filled by a parade of visible state failures, reminding us constantly of our apparent shortcomings as a country. It leaves behind a sense that there is nothing binding us together – that there is no democratic, accountable state for us to contribute to and benefit from when we need it. It is an invisible sign that the social contract is broken. 

The technocratic arguments around public service reform often miss this point. There are well-rehearsed debates about privatisation that don’t bear repeating at length here – only to say that this isn’t a call for free-market dogma to be replaced by the statist variety. The point is that however a service is delivered, it needs to be visibly accountable. These things matter more often than we technocrats like to admit.

To turn to another mode of transport, Great British Railways unveiled their first train last week – and in Union Jack livery that doubles down on the symbolism, even more so than those bee network buses. Soon, this will be another visible sign of government accountability.

Some technocrats might say that Great British Railways won’t in itself improve train performance. That is debatable. But it’s also not the point. Those new trains will provide something that has been quietly missing – visibility and accountability.

There is a reason these policies are all high on the government’s agenda. But with everything going on in the world, many have missed the effect they will have.

The Prime Minister once said politics must ‘tread more lightly’ on our lives. That remains an important ambition. But behind the scenes the government is also reforming the state so that where it does tread, it does so confidently – and yes, visibly and accountably.

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By the next election, more places will be supported to re-regulate their buses – just like in Greater Manchester, albeit without the bees. Trains will look different – and more patriotic. And when these small changes come about, they will show – very visibly – the one-word slogan this government was elected on. Change.

That won’t be enough on its own. But it is something to point to.

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