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Ten good reasons to welcome the appointment of Jon Cruddas

It’s been a while since Jon Cruddas was a Labour Left pin up boy and even then the status was contested by some sections of the Left — his campaign for the deputy leadership being seen as a distraction from the non-event that the main event turned out to be. Since that campaign, he clearly felt comfortable neither in the role of standard bearer of the Left, nor in the Commons (leading the the Daily Mail to describe him as “an almost total nonentity in the Chamber“). Although Neal Lawson bigged him up as a possible leadership candidate, that was only because Jon and Neal didn’t properly talk about it. Then Compass took itself out of the party mainstream into a multi-party cul-de-sac and Jon badly miscalculated who was going to win the Leadership. Never mind, here at Left Futures, we think there are several reasons to be positive about Ed’s choice to lead the policy review. It’s not just that he’s a big picture, ideas and vision person, but here are ten really good things on his record:

  1. His record on fighting racism and fascism – he was the Spectator’s Campaigner of the Year for his fight against the BNP in his Dagenham constituency.
  2. He has long argued that New Labour had ignored its working class core voters, and that class needs to be central to our politics.
  3. He opposed New Labour’s introduction of University tuition fees.
  4. He opposed New Labour’s imposition of benefit penalties on single parents with children under 5.
  5. He opposed the replacement of Trident.
  6. He opposed Foundation schools.
  7. He opposed New Labour’s continuing privatisation in the NHS.
  8. He supports a referendum on the EU.
  9. He supported John McDonnell’s Trade Union Freedom Bill and subsequent measures to defend the right to strike.
  10. He is a long-standing supporter of the “fourth option” for council housing.

5 Comments

  1. James Moore says:

    A very good choice and I hope many more like him shape the future of our policies rather then people who think we should compete with the Tories on stupidity ! It is about time we took into account the real impact of 2008 and look for a new way out for the future so we are not subject to the harm of neo liberal market economics

  2. Peter Kenyon says:

    Dear Jon

    All very interesting, but what is the role?

  3. David Ellis says:

    One overwhelmingly good reason not to: he urged people to vote Lib Dem against Labour candidates on the eve of the last general election. He is an agent of those who would transform the Labour Party into the Liberal Party.

    Just out of interest, why is supporting a referendum on the EU a good thing per se?

  4. john reid says:

    seeing some of the other names on option 9’s Mcdonnel’s union bill the likes OF Harry cohen Anne moffat, alex slamond ,Keith vaz, isn’t exaclty a warm recomendation

  5. Stephen says:

    errm the link is to the Bill John McD put in the last session. It would be quite a turn up for the books if Anne Moffat and Alex Salmond supported it as neither are MPs…

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