In the face of defeat in Bradford, Ed Miliband has recognised that Labour needs “real, deep, genuine change” to reconnect with the 5 million voters lost under New Labour. At the same time, Labour right-wingers like Luke Akehurst express “disgust“ that other Labour members can put aside loyalty to their party to express solidarity not […]
Posts under ‘Ideology’
Why a Blairite party-within-a-party is a structural obstacle to Labour’s revival
Apr 17th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.
Tasks of the Left
Apr 8th, 2012 by Andy Newman.It is one of the more ridiculous claims of the Blairites that they represent a continuity with a long tradition within the Labour Party. Indeed Patrick Diamond wrote a silly book called New Labour’s Old Roots that sought to co-opt figures as diverse as Tawney, Durbin and Crosland as pre-cursors of Tony Blair. In fact, the Labour […]
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Openness, democracy and transparency. Is that too much to ask of Progress?
Mar 13th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.This weekend, Progress – Labour’s Blairite faction – is again holding its annual political weekend in rural Lincolnshire, sponsored this year by the British Venture Capital Association. As usual it is addressed by several shadow cabinet members (Douglas Alexander, Liam Byrne, Ivan Lewis, Liz Kendall), but this year it meets widely accused of being a […]
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The perils of party reform, Progress-style
Mar 5th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.The key to reforming the party structure and putting the party back into power, according to Progress, is “putting the community at the centre of the party” with an emphasis on recruiting registered supporters, community organising and selecting Labour candidates through primaries. As David Miliband put it: “We need to expand our reach by building […]
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The changing moral case for capitalism
Feb 23rd, 2012 by David Osler.There is a moral case for capitalism that currently goes unheard, and David Cameron can make it most effectively by ensuring that the lowest paid see their pay pushed down even further. Oh, and greater numbers of people should work for highly profitable companies for absolutely nothing. Statements like that on a leftwing website sound […]
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David Miliband’s right about a debate, but it can’t ignore the big issues
Feb 4th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.There is much to welcome in David Miliband’s call for a ‘comradely and serious debate’ about the future for the Labour Party, as prompted by Roy Hattersley’s recent article in the Political Quarterly on social democracy. He is certainly right about the spirit in which the debate should take place, but this initial foray will […]
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What David Miliband’s intervention really means
Feb 3rd, 2012 by Owen Jones.Those of us who have suggested David Miliband’s latest political intervention may have – let’s say – ulterior motives have received a bit of flak. Must he stay silent just because any public pronouncement may be misconstrued by the media? Why can’t he contribute to the debate about the party’s future like anyone else?
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What would a Leanne Wood victory mean for Labour
Feb 2nd, 2012 by Andy Newman.Leanne Wood’s campaign to become leader of Plaid goes from strength to strength, now gaining the endorsement of Dafydd Iwan, former president of the party, and a renowned Welsh-language musician. Iwan’s support is significant as it bridges the gap between the traditionalist Welsh speaking foundations of Plaid’s support in the West and North of the country with the left-wing republicanism […]
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Socialism: it’s nothing personal
Feb 2nd, 2012 by Owen Jones.I’m almost feeling sorry for Fred the Shred. ‘Humbling of Mister Godwin’, mocked the Daily Mail; ‘Goodwin is shredded’ (geddit?) bellowed the Daily Telegraph; ‘Once A Knight Fred’, echoed the Sun, a newspaper always keen to win the most imaginative pun stakes. It’s more than tempting for the left to jump on this populist bandwagon. […]
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Greenspan versus Marx
Jan 26th, 2012 by David Osler.A lot of people on the free market right have a simplistic two-word explanation for why the world economy is currently close to the edge of a frighteningly steep cliff: Alan Greenspan. Throw those Marxist and Keynesian textbooks out the window, people. We are where we are because the former chairman of the Federal Reserve responded […]
