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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15 Responses to “Jowell: Co-op movement standard-bearer for Labour values”
Anon E Mouse
It’s easy to see that by constantly claiming to be “progressive”, whilst clearly not being that has lead to the Lib Dems supporting the Tories.
The quickest way to see how Labour was NOT progressive is to watch Nick Clegg repealing stupid unwanted money wasting Labour laws. Leaving aside Labour not allowing the Gurkhas in, the 10p tax punishment on the poor, 90 day detention and so on here are just five examples so far:
1. Third runway at Heathrow scrapped
2. DNA database modified
3. Bins emptied once a week (Ireland does that for 60 euro’s a year btw)
4. Home Information Packs scrapped
5. ID scheme scrapped
There are just five laws repealed so far that are anything but “progressive” – I always quite liked Tessa Jowell and am surprised she’s come out with this stuff unless the author of this piece is indulging in the usual spinning that seems to still be present in the minds of Labour supporters…
mike
The Liberal Democrats
lets sack 750,000 public sector workers
cuting the pay and pensions of the rest (nurses and teachers etc)
You were elected with committment not to cut front line services
‘yet nurses and teachers are already been sacked
and you call that progressive
while spending £17,500 on fine wine a month for cabinet ministers
The fact is Labour did allow the Gurkhas in,
The new Coalition wont let anyone in unless their rich
oh and was the first expenses scandal a “clean – we will make politics different” Liberal
And the rest of your issues hadnt even been introduced ie ID cards had already been scrapped
Bins weekly – that was always up to and still is up to local councils
As for scrapping the DNA data base – well ask your local police force or public and they are overwhelmingly for it
Government by the Rich for the rich
Harry Barnes
Co-operative Party and Labour Party members are invited to support this initiative to improve the scope and nature of the current leadership debate. This can be done via -http://dronfieldblather.blogspot.com/2010/06/calling-those-with-voting-rights-in.html
TO THE CANDIDATES IN THE LABOUR LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS
The supporters of this letter are members of either the Labour Party and/or members of organisations affiliated to the Labour Party who pay their political levy or its equivalent.
Immediately after the election we felt that Labour needed a period of reflection and serious internal debate to assess the reasons for our defeat and to think through the direction we needed to move into.
Instead we have been confronted with an imperfect leadership contest in which the Party’s wider membership and its affiliated bodies have been excluded from the nominating procedure. This has restricted both the range of the political viewpoints and the background links of the candidates who have emerged.
What we feel now needs to be done is to seek to use the current imperfect leadership contest as a means by which we can acquire something like the form of assessment and internal debate which we feel is necessary.
This means that there is a need to divert the current contest away from being just another ’X factor’ game show, towards being a serious debate related to the principles contained in the Labour Party Constitution which state – “The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect”.
To help achieve the depth and nature of the debate that we are seeking, we call upon each of the candidates to publish a Manifesto of Intent to make clear to everyone the direction in which they would seek to lead the Labour Party, based on their assessment of the reasons behind the electoral defeat and their interpretation of the direction where the principles quoted above should now lead us.
We ask that these Manifestos of Intent should be distributed widely in order to generate extensive discussion across the Party and beyond, so that this will assist those voting in the leadership contest to reach balanced and principled understandings.
Robert
I’m a member of the COOP and also the GMB, sadly i left labour when the welfare reforms came in, I will also be leaving the COOP within the next few weeks, after they said that the welfare reforms are a way forward.
I have a medical every three years but my legs are not going to grown back, my spinal lesion and Paraplegia is not going to recover. But the new medical will say to me you can pick up litter, we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt you can do something hence we will move you to JSA.
Now I’ve been looking for work long before Blair came to power and even found a job, it lasted six weeks until the company decided it did not want to have a new labour social conscientious and sacked me.
Why in gods name would I want to vote for four men all of them voted for the 92 day detention the war in Iraq refused us a hearing, did not give us the vote on the EU treaty.
Lied cheated and made my life hell, well i might vote Abbott but I might, sadly John did not stand again, so sod it.
Anon E Mouse
Mike – How many teachers and nurses, under instruction from this new government have been sacked?
£17500 on wine? what about the £900000 Labour spent in the last five years? And £142000 on pot plants and on and on.
DNA database – I don’t care what the police want – we don’t live in a police state.
If Labour were as good as you say they wouldn’t have got so few seats…
Mike you need to look to the future – you’re still fighting the last election…