It’s unusual for a dull, internal party report to become a cause celebre, but these are unusual times. For the last week comrades who follow Progress and Labour First folk may have found them talking an awful lot about the Beckett Report. There’s even a petition about it. Commissioned to find out to explain why […]
Posts Tagged ‘General Election’
The Beckett report won’t help the 4.5%ers ’til they explain their own crushing defeat
Jan 19th, 2016 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.
Would a Rachel Reeves budget yesterday have been much different?
Jul 9th, 2015 by James Elliott.Ahead of yesterday’s budget, in which George Osborne laid out £12bn of welfare cuts, a continued squeeze on public sector pay, the abolition of student maintenance grants and higher tuition fees, Labour’s ‘opposition’ front benchers went out of their way to agree with Osborne’s narrative of austerity. Still reeling from the General Election, or now […]
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Poll: Blair & Mandelson lead the race to the bottom (in popularity of retired politicians)
Feb 18th, 2015 by Jon Lansman.Ten days ago, Tony Blair offered to do “what it takes to help Ed Miliband win general election“. Michael Meacher on this site said thanks but we’d be better off without it. Today, a poll carried out by YouGov for the Times confirmed that he’s right. Asked about a number of retired politicians, Tony Blair and Peter […]
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Battle-lines for 2015: Tory permanent austerity v Labour decent affordable society
Nov 14th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.Cameron, surprisingly, has really let the cat out of the bag. In his speech to the Lord Mayor’s banquet (complete with champagne, roast duck and assorted fruit meringues) he let slip to his audience that the Tories would not restore public expenditure after the structural deficit had been eliminated, but would maintain austerity indefinitely (though […]
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Why Labour doesn’t need Jim Messina
Aug 5th, 2013 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.“We’re doomed! We’re doomed!” No, I’m not channelling Private Frazer’s ghost. But this sums up the deflated mood afflicting sections of the front bench and commentariat. Why? Because it appears the Tories are getting their act together. Some polls show a narrowing of the Labour lead, while others wipe it out altogether, or (confusingly) show Labour extending its lead. Either way, […]
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Blairite revisionism over Labour’s defeat must be challenged
Mar 3rd, 2011 by Owen Jones.Narratives are clever political devices. You take a particular event, particularly one that has confused or traumatised people; and, before anyone else gets there first, stamp on a story explaining why it happened. Repeat it enough, pass it off as commonsense, and soon it will become received wisdom. You can then cleverly use it for […]
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Mandelson (and Blair) represent Labour’s past and Labour’s defeat
Feb 26th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Peter Mandelson says he is loyal to Ed Miliband; he has a funny way of showing it. The extracts from the new chapter of the paperback edition of his book, The Third Man, published on Labour Uncut and Labour List, provide much ammunition for the Tories. Labour’s leadership election rules, for example, Mandelson claims gave a […]
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The “National Interest”
May 11th, 2010 by Mike Marqusee.In the wake of Britain’s inconclusive general election, there is much talk of the “national interest”. It’s said that politicians of all parties have to pull together to address the crisis caused by the country’s enlarged fiscal deficit. Specifically, they must agree to a package of deep cuts in public spending. Nothing, it is said, […]
