Why Labour would be wrong to chase the ‘centre-ground’

by Darrell Goodliffe.

As soon as I read an article which states something like “the centre ground in politics is perennially important“, my hackles rise. This is largely because I don’t believe in the existence of such a thing. To me, it’s as  real as Camelot or the Tooth Fairy. Centrist politics and ‘the centre ground’ are the subjective creations of ideologues […]

Moving beyond the budget question in defending council services

by Darrell Goodliffe.

I have often argued that I favour councils setting a social budget and, if necessary, setting an illegal budget rather than implementing cuts. I continue to favour this but I fear that, on the left, we are getting too caught up in this discussion and it is obscuring other demands we need to be making. […]

We need a labour movement No to AV Campaign…

by Darrell Goodliffe.

The current clutch of opinion polls do not make pleasant reading for the No to AV camp. They are showing a clear momentum shift in the direction of a Yes vote with the ComRes poll showing Yes taking a 10% being the latest example of this. Of course, a high percentage of ‘dont know’s’ still exist (ComRes […]

LRC comes out against AV, and debates the cuts

by Darrell Goodliffe.

Following on from the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) National Conference I was subsequently elected to represent Leeds LRC on the National Committee. If you’re worried about more potentially disastrous tired guesses about attendance then fear no more, I won’t be making any such guesses this time around. John McDonnell lead off with a political report […]

David Davis and the ‘common people’….

by Darrell Goodliffe.

I predict that David Davis is going to become and remain something of a regular thorn in David Cameron’s side. Obviously, he has one eye on being the next Prime Minister and, as such, he will do his best to step-forward as the champion of the already disaffected Conservative right. In addition to his defence […]

Labour Yes is trying to bounce Labour around…

by Darrell Goodliffe.

I want to tell you a story. It starts with me receiving a copy of the Lib Dems local Focus. Don’t leave me just yet because it gets better than this. On that Focus is some pretty blatant campaigning for a Yes vote in what it laughably terms the ‘fairer votes referendum’. If ever there […]

The rights and wrongs of Baroness Warsi

by Darrell Goodliffe.

Baroness Warsi must be fuming. Her attempt at making herself the top story in every newspaper yesterday failed spectacularly, torpedoed as it was by Alan Johnson’s shock departure. Nonetheless what Warsi said deserves some examination. Her essential point, that Islamophobia has passed the ‘dinner table test’ has some truth to it.  Sure, it is totally […]

The LRC: Preparing for the battles to come….

by Darrell Goodliffe.

Slightly over 100 comrades gathered for the Labour Representation Committee conference on the 15th of January. In terms of size this was a much smaller number than those who gathered for the Fabian Conference on the same day. However, in-terms of significance it would be wrong to underestimate the LRC.

Police spies – a cautionary tale

by Darrell Goodliffe.

The tale of undercover police officer Mark Kennedy and the environmental protest group is usually the stuff of kitsch action films. Indeed, according to reports there is a possibility it will become one. A sad and indicative comment on capitalism as a social system that real-life betrayal and grief is an ideal candidate for instant […]

LRC conference preview

by Darrell Goodliffe.

This coming Saturday, the Labour Representation Committee will meet for its annual conference. It does so at a crucial juncture in the trajectory of the Labour left, of the Labour Party itself and the wider labour movement. What role the LRC plays will, of course, be largely determined by the direction it takes now. One […]

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