Speaking at this year’s Progress conference, Andy Burnham MP spoke of a genuine "fear and loathing" from traditional voters lost by Labour since 1997.
Andy Burnham MP, speaking at this year’s Progress conference, spoke of a genuine “fear and loathing” from traditional voters lost by Labour since 1997.
Mr Burnham said:
“In order for Labour to regain our position in government and our communities, we need embrace where we are, and exactly who we stand for. The loss in trust of Labour was seen throughout the UK, and was not just a region specific problem.”
Going on to decipher the breakdown of the relationship, Mr Burnham, looking confident and fresh faced in front of the on-looking Channel 4 News cameras, spoke of the impact of the credit crunch.
“When [the credit cruch] hit, views around the country changed and we struggled to come to terms with saving the banks and bankers and we mismanaged this process politically to our voters. We disconnected with many of them as we seemed on the side of the elites.”
On Welfare reform, Mr Burnham spoke of a distinct “line”, stressing the significance of which side you feel on as a working class voter:
“If you fell on the right side then you were fine and reasonably happy, but if you were just on the other side, my god you really felt it and it was something we should have addressed earlier. Some 40 per cent of low to middle income earners feel they are in a lower status job than their parents.”
Speaking on the same panel – titled “Core lessons: Can Labour reconnect with working-class communities?” – Margaret Hodge MP stressed the impact felt by local communities due to a severe lack of social housing provision. The panel agreed that immigration significantly affected the pressures, or the perceived pressures at least, placed upon social welfare facilities. Ms Hodge said:
“[Immigration] affected housing, jobs and real wages. If we do not talk about it now then we leave a vacuum for others to fill like the BNP. That said, in my opinion [the BNP] will likely implode as a result of their poor performance but the threat remains and we should stress that.”
Ellie Reeves, the youngest member of Labour’s National Executive Committee, spoke strongly about Labour’s future strategy. “We should go after our swing voters in our traditional seats, but without the lower class vote nationally we are unlikely to win,” she said.
Margaret Hodge went on to say, “None of it is about losing our identity but we got complacent with power and we need to start reengaging. We need a bottom to top approach and not a dictatorial style as in the past.” She went on to stress the need to ensure that Labour punctures through “barriers” to ensure the party lets people know that they are on the side of the working classes and those who need us most.
In closing, leadership challenger Mr Burnham spoke strongly in favour of grassroots political movement, or a renewed sense of community cohesion. He urged the party to “bring down the curtain on stage management and get drama and authenticity back to the Labour Party”.
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20 Responses to “Burnham speaks of “fear and loathing” from voters”
Stuart Bruce
Andy Burnham "bring down the curtain on stage management and get drama and authenticity back to the Labour Party" http://bit.ly/cs40ZO
Roland M-Horne
My new Left Foot Forward blog http://bit.ly/d797wq #Progress2010
Sharon
RT @stuartbruce AB "bring down the curtain on stage management and get drama and authenticity back to the Labour Party" http://bit.ly/cs40ZO
Mark Horne
RT @RoMarcelinHorne: My new Left Foot Forward blog http://bit.ly/d797wq #Progress2010
tomtiddler
@robert
what the hell were you doing in the labour party anyway? socialism has been murdering people for a hundred years. it is a failed social experiment. get the che guevara poster off your wall and get a job!