Rumours of the Labour party's death within a decade have been greatly exaggerated
The Labour party is not long for this world. If we are to believe the Tory press today, (a risky move generally), the party of Keir Hardie may have only ten years left to live.
And apparently the diagnosis was made by one of the patient’s very own limbs: Ed Miliband’s policy chief, Jon Cruddas MP.
The Daily Mail pronounced the death sentence, ‘Ed’s aide: Labour could die in ten years‘, hot on the heals of the Telegraph‘s more evolutionary take, ‘Miliband aide: Labour could be extinct in a decade‘. As both stories report:
“Asked whether the Labour Party might ‘not exist’ within ten years, Mr Cruddas, a reknowned [sic] free-thinker, replied: ‘Yes, yes.‘
” ‘There is no safe ground for any orthodox parties and the stakes could be high potentially. They could just disintegrate in real time. And I include in that the party that I represent.‘ “
As you can see, Cruddas was speaking about the dangers to ‘any orthodox parties’, including Labour, as extreme parties of left and right spring up across Europe.
This certainly applies to the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats as much as any other, as the threat from UKIP to David Cameron’s Tories in a number of seats demonstrates. So why the focus on Labour?
The Telegraph explains:
“The remarks are particularly noteworthy, given Mr Cruddas’ job description is often given as rebuilding the party in the wake of New Labour.”
Or as the Mail’s eerily similar but more candid story puts it:
“The remarks will embarrass Mr Miliband because Mr Cruddas is meant to be rebuilding the party in the wake of New Labour.”
Mystery solved? Regardless, with the two parties tied in the polls, it seems reports of the Labour party’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter
8 Responses to “Media Watch: Daily Mail’s latest health scare says ‘Labour could die in ten years’”
littleoddsandpieces
Ah the Greece experience.
PASOK (Greece’s Labour) now suffers a joke it has just one MP in membership.
SYRIZA that was small is now an international phenomen.
PODEMOS will win the general election at end of the year in Spain.
Dear Mr Cruddas run as a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidate as its Prime Minister (?) Go ask offer them your help and bring trade union money with you.
I have found, as a voter and not a member of anything, the way to get the poor vote lost to Labour for TUSC (lots of ex Labour MPs and councillors who left or sacked from Labour for being anti austerity cuts).
http://www.anastasia-england.me.uk
Ex Labour voter, all my life.
Now Labour offer me nil state penson
just like the Tories and the Lib Dem Pensions Minister Mr Steve Webb.
AlanGiles
All three major parties could disintegrate in the next decade – so many Conservatives have gone to UKIP the true LibDems have nowhere to go (will they really believe in Miliband any more than they do Cameron?). None of them will “die” – just like the old Liberal party they will soldier on, but I think we are in for many years of coalition government – the days of landslide victories are well in the past, because most sane people know that no party has the answers to everything, they are all very similar in essence, a bit like washing powders – it’s just a question of which colour box and smell you prefer.
For the first time in my life I find it difficult to force myself to vote this year. I will probably vote Green if we have a candidate, if not I won’t bother. Personally I find it hard to imagine Miliband running a bath let alone a country and there are still too many Blairite cadavers in the PLP
treborc1
It nearly died in 1983, but was killed in 1997, Miliband is not so much labour as a Progress drone.
treborc1
Did you see Reeves bit in the Guardian today.
Reeves said Labour did not want to be seen to be the party of the
welfare state. “We are not the party of people on benefits. We don’t
want to be seen, and we’re not, the party to represent those who are out
of work,” she said. “Labour are a party of working people, formed for
and by working people.”
Reeves is treading in difficult political territory, eager to
highlight the fallout from the government’s austerity policies without
appearing to be soft on the rising cost of welfare.
Shortly after being appointed, 18 months ago, Reeves said Labour would be tougher than the Conservatives on cutting the benefits bill; this week, she said she had “robust” policies to ensure that the spending would reduce.
AlanGiles
I always find it difficult to take that woman seriously. She looks like a very dodgy drag act and she tries to point in both directions at once. Ghastly identikit politician.