Jowell: Co-op movement standard-bearer for Labour values

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Addressing the Co-operative Group the former Culture Secretary deemed the Co-operative and wider 'mutual movement' a standard-bearer for combined social and economic progress...

This morning Tessa Jowell moved to reassert a sense of pride and accomplishment into Labour’s thirteen-year tenure in power. Addressing the Co-operative Group at the ’52 ways to change the world co-operatively’ event, the launchpad for the Co-operative Fortnight, the former Culture Secretary deemed the Co-operative and wider ‘mutual movement’ a standard-bearer for combined social and economic progress – the very policy that the New Labour movement thrived on.

Jowell voiced concern over allowing the “post-election post mortem, or indeed the leadership debates” to “obscure what we achieved in government”. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the labour leadership candidates have worked to distance themselves from the Blair-Brown era. Even David Miliband has scaled back his early defense of the past Labour Government in recent debates.

Jowell continued:

“it was Labour that redefined the progressive concensus in British politics; so much so that the Coalition are forced to define their approach in relation to fairness”.

Failures, she added, arose because “we did not go as far as we should have” – determining that a lack of “courage of conviction” led Labour to deviate from policies that were both successful and fair.

In a speech with much post-defeat conviction, Jowell urged listeners to recommit to the New Labour marriage of “long term economic success with social progress”. This appeared a timely reminder of the salient values of the Labour party in contrast with members of the current Coalition. Conservative attacks on frontline social services, a result of the ongoing spending cuts, appear to sacrifice the latter for the former in the “marriage” outlined by Jowell.

Jowell identified the Co-operative banks as “ethical” and “values-led” institutions that underline the belief that business should seek to serve wider social ends and that “people can achieve most when they work together”. On top of this she asserted that the co-operative sector needs to be expanded, a move that would be a unique cohesive social measure as services are either suspended or scrapped by the Lib-Con Coalition.

Finally Jowell outlined what she termed a “lofty intention” – to find and implement “a way of doing business that seeks to act in all of our interests; as employees, customers, investors and members of the society that we live in”.

Jowell’s speech signalled the beginning of two weeks of community workshops and events nationwide that will champion the social values outlined in her address.

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