We need to appeal to the whole country, not just odd sections of it
Harriet Harman’s comments today that the leadership contest should be ‘public facing’ should be welcomed by all in the Labour movement.
While the party needs to have a deep inward think about how it operates, we cannot forget that ultimately the lessons to learn from defeat will be learnt not from any one candidate or union. Instead they will come from the public that, when it came to it, could not put their trust in us.
But within it all, we have to be prepared to stand up for our proud legacy in government. We should not seek to define ourselves by putting distance between the party we are now and the party that won three successive general elections.
How can we ever hope to secure the reins of power again if we cannot give a clear and robust defence of what we did when we were last in government?
For all the problems of the Iraq War, we would never have got a minimum wage and record investment in our public services had it not been for Tony Blair’s achievement in getting Labour into government. He did this by challenging the party to reach out to areas of the country that had previously been written off as no-go areas.
The peace process in Northern Ireland, the Human Rights Act and a Britain more confident in the world are all legacies of Labour. We must shout from the roof tops about the difference a Labour government could make come 2020, pointing to the radical changes we made when last held the levers of power.
The Labour party now stands at a crossroads, and the reality is that we will only get back into government by taking on and defeating the Conservatives in those marginal seats we should have won – seats like Nuneaton, Lincoln, Broxtowe and Hastings.
Let ‘s not forget that even if the party had kept its seats in Scotland, it would still be in opposition.
As a party we need to stop navel-gazing and reach out across the whole country, engaging with all those voters in marginal seats who could not bring themselves to put a cross next to their Labour candidate.
The blunt truth is that it is only by persuading voters as a whole that Labour is credible will we get back into power; not by persuading ourselves.
And for those in any doubt, have a look at this weekend’s polling by YouGov for the Sunday Times. Forty per cent of voters said the next Labour leader needs to position the party firmly in the centre ground of British politics, with just 21 per cent saying they should take it to the left.
In an interview with the Economist prior to the recent election, Tony Blair observed that May’s election was shaping up to be one ‘in which a traditional left-wing party competes with a traditional right-wing party, with the traditional result’.
He was right then and he is right now. Whatever people think of Blair, the fact remains that he won three resounding victories, one of only two Labour leaders since 1974 to have won elections for the party.
If opposition is what the party ,then, let’s pick up where we left off.
But if power, and the ability to actually change things, is what we want then we need to be challenged, we need to be modernised and we need to be reformed into a pro-aspiration party. We need to be a party that talks to the whole country and not to odd sections of it.
Ed Jacobs is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter
31 Responses to “Comment: Labour can only win from the centre”
James Chilton
When was the last Labour government elected on what you would describe as “the genuine Labour case forcefully made?”
sarntcrip
labour cannot win by being the sameas the tories or iliberal democrats, it must have a different propersition, or why bother, it must encourage people to better themselves as blair did with education but it must not be frightened of having a social conscience and look to protect the vulnerable as it always has it should look to encourage egalitarian businesses such as mutuals and co ops bust stamp out tax avoidance and bring in the robin hood tax to help rebuild post tory britain if the membership and voting support do.n’t support trident it must set out it’s position in a clear concise manner pointing out alternatives furthermore it must support more social housing and not b afraid to legislate against rogue private landlords it must build an economy not built around house ownership which inevitably results in boom and bust but organise for a mixed economy much less dependent on the city of london climate change must be delt with on a longterm basis with investment in renewables at a level nt dissimilar to the level of investment given to to nuclear industry during the60s,7os and 80s investment borrowing should be conducted but not for day to day running of the country immediate funds should be made available to housing associations at preferential rates to encourage a mass social housing investment programme.there ought to be recognition that unskilled worki s vital to the running of public and local services if everyone is going to get a degree who is going to keep the streets clean maintain the sewers and do all those nasty jobs that are forgotten in amongst the ambition of people media and governments those jobs will not be going away a law should be introduced to peg benefit rises to the consumer prices index as long as it is positive any necessary austerity measures should come equally across the whole of society based on the ability to pay not merely focus on those who can’t fight back profit should not be a dirty word but people should always come before it
Ian
The last ‘Labour’ government continued NHS privatisation, brought us Atos and the WCA, pandered to the financial sector, increased inequality, killed hundreds of thousands Iraqis, played fast and loose with civil rights, gave us hideous immigration centres… So what exactly was the point of them being elected if they’re going to behave like right wing bastards and what would be the point ofof the party if it goes right now? What do you want Labour elected for if they’re just another right wing neoliberal party?
Seems you’re more attached to the Labour name than any ideology or real hope of change.
James Chilton
You didn’t answer my question. I asked when was the last Labour government elected on a manifesto that you would approve of?
You’re more interested in trying to label me as a “right-winger” or some such, rather than say clearly which Labour government got into office with policies that meet your criteria of what the Labour party stands for.
Ian
Not in my lifetime is the answer (I’m 43). Having said that, a much more left wing Labour party would have won in ’97 because pretty much enyone would have beaten the Tories, it just happened that Blair was leader at the time. Once Labour was in government people would have seen they weren’t the communist bogeymen they were portrayed as.
Now you answer my point – what is the point of a Labour party that mimics the Tories? Why vote for it? Why even join the Labour Party if you fundamentally disagree with its reason to exist?
If you want to be in a neoliberal, right wing, warmongering, poor-persecuting party then go join one. Right now, Labour is a vehicle for the political ambitions of career-minded cryptoTories, these people need to shape up or piss off.
It’s no coincidence the Labour vote has diminished since 2001 as they moved right. That’s because the party is making itself redundant and not speaking up for the people it was meant to represent.