MAYDAY MAYDAY: PARTY IN CRISIS (Sunday Mirror)

[Big Daz]

Jon Cruddas Mp For Dagenham And Former Labour Deputy Leadership Contender 4/05/2008

'The 2007 local election results were supposed to be the bottom of the pit. The last disastrous kick in the backside for an unpopular PM who stayed in office too long. Things couldn't get worse than 2007.

Well, 2008 is worse. And the bad news for Labour is that if we carry on as we are, it will carry on getting worse.

Over the last few years Labour has been losing elections because millions of our core supporters have decided to stay home on election days.

Well, the missing millions are back - but now they're voting for the other side.

Evidence suggests that even when turnout was up in Labour areas last week - usually a good sign - it was the other parties that got higher votes. Actually, the safer the Labour area the worse our result was.

Let's not mess about - our people are abandoning us, we're sinking fast and no amount of hand-wringing and promises of "listening and learning" from election night will change that.

The senseless 10p tax band row hurt us - but it's only one example of where we're going wrong. Hitting hard-working people in their pocket is not bright - but the strategists thought it was. You see they needed some cash so they could cut taxes for the so called middle-class swing voters.

The New Labour attitude that you can kick the workers from pillar to post because "they've got nowhere else to go" has reached its ludicrous conclusion with the election - with working-class votes - of the SNP in Scotland, independent radicals in Wales and the BNP in industrial English towns like Stoke-on-Trent.

There were crumbs of comfort in the fact that Ken Livingstone bucked the trend and kept core Labour support on board. He has never played by the Westminster rules. But even for him it wasn't enough. Elsewhere, after Thursday, the picture for Labour is bleak. The people we have let down found someone else to vote for after all.

We've shut ourselves in Westminster strategy sessions and policy wonk conferences instead of getting out there to understand the material concerns of our people. There has been a rupture between the political-class and the working-class.

The fantastic policies with which Labour has transformed this country - SureStart, the minimum wage, and, until last month, tax cuts for the poorest - amount to nothing if we remain focused on a tiny slice of the country and not all of the people, including our core supporters.

We need to focus on picking up votes from all sections of our country. With the economy on the downturn it is becoming clear that the issues that affect core Labour voters - like housing, debt, immigration, insecurity at work - are also hitting people in so-called "middle England".

The political essentials are the same in Reading and Rotherham. We have to govern for everyone. That's why we need to remember those forgotten millions. Working-class voters have been let down and patronised by a Government that was elected to represent them.

As times get harder and the cost of living continues to rise, the middleclasses are also struggling. They need to feel that Labour understands their fears.

We can speak with one voice. We don't need to play one half of Britain off against another. It's not too late to change - but choose change we must.'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

There is already talk of getting a stalking horse up against Broon, or even an outright challenege. I think to be honest Labour need to ditch him and lurch to the left a bit more.

[Big Daz]

Problem is those who form the government think they need to stay to the right. Yet it is that that has led to the mess they now find themselves in!

[dongash]

What a pity Tony Benn is too old!!!!! nobody to look after the working classes now!!!! certainly not his son in a future leadership battle!!!

[Big Daz]

Working class middle class how do you define these in the 21st century?

To win you have to appeal to both groups! Brown has no idea how do this.

Which is why Cameron is shifting his party to the left and has accepted some labour policies that were once opposed by the conservatives such as the minium wage.


As soon as cameron and co move to the left of labour on some issues Labour is in serious trouble without viable policies.

[Wild Cat]

There is already talk of getting a stalking horse up against Broon, or even an outright challenege. I think to be honest Labour need to ditch him and lurch to the left a bit more.

Lurch to the left a bit more?

Try telling that to the families of teenage murder victims in London.

I think those who think Labour should pursue left wing policies are not in touch with why the working class has abandoned new labour.

For years now Labour have championed billionaires whilst shafting the working class and at the same time we have had endless amounts of P.C rubbish forced down our throats,whilst violent crime soars,criminal gangs from abroad are running drug empires,prostitution rackets,and keeping people in virtual slavery resulting in tragedies such as Morcombe Bay.

At the same time living standards for working class people go down the drain thanks partly to New Labour relentlessly using immigrants to under cut our wages,whilst handing tax cuts to corporate giants,and now the credit bubble Labour has encouraged and enjoyed has finally burst meaning the chickens will finally come home to roost for new Labour.

We moaned when major was prime minister about how bad things were and yet here we are 11 years later and the country is a lot richer and yet working class people are in most cases far worse off.

I voted Labour for the last 3 general elections and yet next time I am contemplating giving cameron a chance as Labour are turning parts of this country into a third world sweat shop and make no apology for doing so.

[BELIAL]

Tbaf

[Big Daz]

Wildcat

I think TBT means traditional working class values.

Labour was set to to give parlimentary representation to the working class

[Big Daz]

In 1899 a Doncaster member of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Thomas R. Steels, proposed in his union branch that the Trade Union Congress call a special conference to bring together all the left-wing organisations and form them into a single body which would sponsor Parliamentary candidates. The motion was passed at all stages by the TUC, and this special conference was held at the Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, London on February 27-28, 1900. The meeting was attended by a broad spectrum of working-class and left-wing organisations; trade unions representing about one third of the membership of the TUC delegates.
The Conference created an association called the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), meant to coordinate attempts to support MPs, MPs sponsored by trade unions and representing the working-class population. It had no single leader. In the absence of one, the Independent Labour Party nominee Ramsay MacDonald was elected as Secretary. He had the difficult task of keeping the various strands of opinions in the LRC united. The October 1900 'Khaki election' came too soon for the new party to effectively campaign. Only 15 candidatures were sponsored, but two were successful: Keir Hardie in Merthyr Tydfil and Richard Bell in Derby.
On February 15, 1906 the LRC's Members of Parliament decided adopt the name "The Labour Party". Keir Hardie, who had taken a leading role in getting the party established, was elected as Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party.


Taken from TULO website

[Vulcan]

If you think about it, New Labour changed their core values with a shift to the right & therefore made themselves electable. After 18 years the Conservatives are doing exactly the same as Bliar & Brown did when they changed to 'New Labour', they are doing a shift to the left to make themselves more electable and now the workers have a viable alternative to New Labour.
Probably the best thing is to limit a party to 2 terms of office, because it seems any longer and they DON'T Govern, but try to retain power by any means (sleaze, vote rigging tec).
I think the voters of today with all the modern technology at hand are beginning to realise that THEY CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE providing they vote & vote tactically to make their voice heard.

[norbert]

If you think about it, New Labour changed their core values with a shift to the right & therefore made themselves electable. After 18 years the Conservatives are doing exactly the same as Bliar & Brown did when they changed to 'New Labour', they are doing a shift to the left to make themselves more electable and now the workers have a viable alternative to New Labour.
Probably the best thing is to limit a party to 2 terms of office, because it seems any longer and they DON'T Govern, but try to retain power by any means (sleaze, vote rigging tec).
I think the voters of today with all the modern technology at hand are beginning to realise that THEY CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE providing they vote & vote tactically to make their voice heard.

too top down with targets , league tables , quite Stalinist & out of touch / opportunistic / cynical .

There's still a right wing influence with "Team Cameron " , it'll all be populist knee jerk stuff if he got in , bit like Howard when he was Home Secretary , he spent more time in court than the criminals he wanted to sort out .

[baldrick]

Wildcat

I think TBT means traditional working class values.

Labour was set to to give parlimentary representation to the working class

Unfortunately it has since been taken over by right wing middle class careerists (now called
New Labour) who are only interested in giving parliamentary representation to big business
and ignore the working class.

[pickaname]

These sodding political parties shouldnt be lurching one way or the other...they should stick to their principles and if thats not enough to get them in power so be it...

People are fed up with politics end of becuase of this plasticity.

All we get is politicians saying whatever they think will get them into No.10 and not delivering.

Be wise. Dont vote and the system will change. If not, man the barracades and start the revolution (preferably when im not busy - thanks.)

[dvbuk55]

Well Labour did take a beating.

Many will not remember the last Tory Government.

Let's for a moment reflect on what each of us want from a Government. Is it:

Decent schools/education - many argue that we are too academic and do not cater for the needs of Industry creating a shortfall in artisan trades.
Health Service - each breakthrough in medicine seems to prolong the lifespan and that in itself creates a greater burden.
Lower Taxes - A properly budgeted economy that does not cater for one group/sector over another.
Police - A well funded centralised force that has the ability to maintain law and order at its basic level to combat hooliganism.
Pensions - A fair distribution of available monies to the elderly. It is already in hand to increase pensionable age to 68.
Armed Forces - A large enough military base to maintain all national and UN commitments without overburdening the few.
Pay - Annual rises to be no less than the gross rate of inflation.
Social Services - A system of care for the underprivileged and elderly.
Unemployment - A system to provide and actually demand employment for payment.
Nationalisation - to provide transport and energy at a reasonable price.

Now what do you want, in what order and then decide who is best equipped to provide it.

[BELIAL]

Well Labour did take a beating.

Many will not remember the last Tory Government.

Let's for a moment reflect on what each of us want from a Government. Is it:

Decent schools/education - many argue that we are too academic and do not cater for the needs of Industry creating a shortfall in artisan trades.
Health Service - each breakthrough in medicine seems to prolong the lifespan and that in itself creates a greater burden.
Lower Taxes - A properly budgeted economy that does not cater for one group/sector over another.
Police - A well funded centralised force that has the ability to maintain law and order at its basic level to combat hooliganism.
Pensions - A fair distribution of available monies to the elderly. It is already in hand to increase pensionable age to 68.
Armed Forces - A large enough military base to maintain all national and UN commitments without overburdening the few.
Pay - Annual rises to be no less than the gross rate of inflation.
Social Services - A system of care for the underprivileged and elderly.
Unemployment - A system to provide and actually demand employment for payment.
Nationalisation - to provide transport and energy at a reasonable price.

Now what do you want, in what order and then decide who is best equipped to provide it.

Never figured you for a Trot Dv, but you've convinced me