Labour MP Jon Trickett puts the case for a “listening” government, listing the policies which might win back Labour voters before it’s too late
On May 1st, 2008 the Labour Government was given a stark and serious ultimatum – change or cease to exist.
The numbers by now are familiar: a Labour loss of 331 councillors, a Tory gain of 256, a 12-council gain for the Tories, a nine-council loss for Labour, the Cameron Conservatives now holding over three times as many councils as Brown’s Labour.
Without doubt the big news stories have been the resurgence of the Conservative Party and the worst results for Labour in over 40 years. Across the country, in places where the Tories should not be winning, they have made progress. There are also now 893 “other” councillors sitting in town halls across England and Wales. This sweeping term can encompass everyone from the BNP to local socialists, a particular breed being the “Independent”.
Looking to areas like Barnsley and Wakefield in the North, as well as in Wales, Independents have made inroads in areas where people still cannot bring themselves to vote overwhelmingly for the Tories – in this, there is hope that Labour can still lure back its core voters but, for this hope to become anything more, there has to be change.
In this last week the term “change” has been the overarching theme. Change in direction, change in policy, change in style – some going as far as to say change in leadership but such broad solutions that read well in the media won’t fix the problem.
As my Compass colleagues have pointed out in the last few days – there must be change. The lapse of the Brown Government into a new form of Blairism did not satisfy the cries for change that echoed around the country. The change must be real: it must be change that people can see at work in their own communities.
To bring back our voters and appeal to other sections of the electorate that we might not traditionally call “ours”, we need to get back to why we all sought a Labour government in the first place. We need to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and address inequality where it exists.
There are practical policies that will instantly signal to our supporters we are serious. A progressive tax system is a start – a system that helps those on the lowest incomes while making sure those on the higher rungs pay their share, and a living wage to make sure those who go to work can support their families. If we need to fund these measures, we should be looking to the energy companies with their billions in profits per quarter, yet still squeezing people into fuel poverty. Or perhaps at the £76 billion of wasted money that will be channelled into renewing the Trident submarine system.
There is no option but to fix the tax credit system. It’s not headline-grabbing or an uncomplicated story, but there are people caught up in it who do need help. Our ignoring them has caused resentment and disillusionment – and rightfully so. Overpayments have left thousands in debt with no discernible way out – tax credits are not targeted at those who have a few thousand pounds tucked away for a rainy day.
We have to give people somewhere to live. The lack of affordable housing for rent is the work of the Tory Government which introduced “right to buy” without replenishing housing stock. But we can’t continue to blame the Tories for the lack of housing when we’ve had over a decade to sort it out. Every MP I know receives plenty of letters and phone calls each week from people desperate to move up the housing waiting list. There are some good proposals and promises of house-building programmes, but promises won’t convince people – they will believe it and the Labour Government when those houses are built in their neighbourhoods.
The government has to stop placing young people who want to carry on in education in thousands of pounds of debt. I get letters from parents and students alike who are worried about how much it costs to go to university. “Middle England” is concerned about the debt at the end of the line and working class young people are considering whether that debt is worth it in the first place. There has to be equality of opportunity, and this will not happen when how much money your family has is a consideration in any way at all.
Finally, the Government needs to bring public sector workers back into the tent. Rows over pay and constant reform and privatisation have seen the drift elsewhere of our formerly staunch supporters. Striking teachers won’t be inclined to stay with us on election day; neither are police officers who want a fair deal when it comes to their pay.
All in all, it’s not good, but all is not yet lost. If Gordon Brown is serious about listening to what people want – and not only listening, but acting – then we can move to a Labour fourth term. But a continuation of “new” Labour policies that put us in this position in the first place will not be tolerated by the electorate. And the party at all levels from branch right through to the NEC, the PLP and the Cabinet must insist that our leadership acts – our future depends on it.
This article is posted for debate at www.compassonline.org.uk
