In his recent contribution to the Israel-Palestine debate, Peter Hain did something remarkable. In a speech at Swansea University, the Labour MP, former Northern Ireland secretary, and veteran anti-apartheid campaigner broke with the consensus that a two-state solution spells the best chance of securing a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unsurprisingly, Hain […]
Posts Tagged ‘Peter Hain’
Shadow cabinet reshuffle – another step forward
May 15th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Ed Miliband has announced his minor re-shuffle following the departure of Peter Hain. He has clearly decided to hold off making any major changes at least until the Autumn. However, he has removed Liam Byrne from the role of coordinating the Policy Review, bringing in Jon Cruddas to perform this role, and appointing Angela Eagle […]
Labour’s policy review: Susan and Melanie and why one head is better than two
Dec 23rd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Labour’s policy making process has two heads but has shown little sign of life since Ed Miliband became Leader promising to re-create a “living, breathing party“. The two heads are Peter Hain, Chair of the National Policy Forum, who theoretically oversees the policy making process, and Liam Byrne, charged with overseeing the policy review. The National […]
Refounding Labour: political homeopathy
Sep 21st, 2011 by David Osler.Interestingly enough, Peter Hain is one of the few people with credibility in public life openly to champion homeopathy. So to his way of thinking, it presumably follows that by diluting the influence of unions in the Labour Party, Refounding Labour will ultimately make them that much stronger. The only snag is that the particular form […]
Refounding Labour: conference timetable stitch-up
Aug 8th, 2011 by Peter Kenyon.According to the draft Labour Party Annual Conference timetable, rule changes and other matters arising from the Refounding Labour ‘consultation’ will be ‘decided’ on Sunday 25 September – the first day. The proposals themselves will be tabled at a deferred Organisation Committee on Thursday 15 September, and decided at the Labour’s pre-Conference executive committee on Tuesday […]
Report of Labour’s July national executive
Jul 25th, 2011 by Ann Black.Tuesday 19 July was a dramatic day in parliament, with Tom Watson questioning the Murdochs and Keith Vaz chairing interviews with senior police officers. Across the committee corridor the NEC meeting was quieter but equally tense as we chose Iain McNicol for Labour’s next general secretary, the sixth appointment in 11 years, after Ray Collins’ […]
The real test of Ed’s commitment to democracy is on reform of the wider party
Jul 5th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Labour MPs have voted today to back Ed Miliband in abolishing shadow cabinet elections, with 196 (76%, or 83% of those voting) in favour, 41 against and 20 not voting. Last September the same PLP had rejected the same proposal and, instead, voted to elect the Chief Whip for the first time (although in the […]
The Blairite ultras would lead Labour to surrender. They must be stopped
May 19th, 2011 by Owen Jones.I never thought I’d say but it but, Christ, I don’t half know how Thatcher felt. Until her administration came and put the ‘Great’ back into ‘Great Britain’ (and all that), post-war Britain was a picture of despair for Maggie. The Tories had capitulated to the political settlement established by Clement Attlee’s 1945 government, with […]
Where are the Social Democrats now?
Mar 2nd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Polly Toynbee reminded us yesterday of who were some of the social democrats in the great Labour break-away of the early 1980s: Andrew Lansley, for example, now a Tory dismantling the NHS, and opposed by his former colleague, Shirley Williams, now in the Lib Dems. Danny Finkelstein advised one Tory leader (William Hague) just as his colleague, Andrew […]
Why has Ed initiated a policy review that by-passes the party?
Feb 22nd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Ed Miliband wants to undertake a policy review which reconnects with the lives of people with whom we lost touch to develop a programme for government. He also wants “to give party members a proper voice” in “a living breathing party of which people are proud to say they are members and proud to call their […]