Mother knows best. On my weekly filial check-in her first words were “ do these people really want to be governed by a bunch of Eton College boys”. Yet here we are; despite the fact that George Osborne, Oliver Letwin and David Cameron have all been forced into a humiliating repayment of their allowances. Their only economic proposal to date is to cut inheritance tax, which will benefit 3000 of the wealthiest people in the UK. This Tory's policy vacuum has apparently 'won'. I do not accept this; in Leicestershire where we are no longer the official opposition coming a poor third behind the Lib Dems, the Conservative vote barely increased from 42% to 44%. Nationally they achieved only 38%, hardly a mandate for government. We must be honest, the Conservatives did not win, Labour lost.
The underlying ethos of our Party is that we work together for the common good. All citizens have equal value, and should have access to the same opportunities; thus we alone empower individuals to seek their own fortunes regardless of class, personal finances, race, sex or disability. It seems to me that some members of our party have lost touch with our values, believing that they have a greater right to determine policy that our collective being. Locally we work hard to improve our local services, and make a difference to people's lives. We do everything that should be done, communicating, listening and adapting our ethos to everyday needs. In that way we slowly build support. But all that can evaporate because of one foolish deed in Westminster. Whispering campaigns, secret plots and e-mails, and the arrogance of resignations on the eve of poll. I wonder at times if Labour's team in Westminster draws more on PG Wodhouse then socialist creed. Are we too being infected by the jolly japes of Eton College.
So where next? The Labour Party in the country must recapture our central role in policy-making and service delivery from the centre. We decide who will be our leader and when that leadership election will take place - not the Daily Telegraph or any part of the media, and certainly not a few self appointed individuals in London.
Nationally our standing has been severely damaged by both the allowances scandal and the worldwide banking crisis. The status of Parliament can only be repaired by visible change, delivered speedily and seen to be effective. Early publication of the details of MPs allowances could've staunched the poisonous drip of insight from the Daily Telegraph, but that time has passed. What is now needed is more than just a reform of pay and conditions, but a tangible return of power to the electorate. I have always been a closet supporter of some form of proportional representation. Not the purists vision of huge multi-member seats determined by single transferable vote (STV). Hardly anyone knows who their MEP is, and STV can only create more distance between the electorate and their MP. Nor do I support any method that includes any form of closed party list; we are seeking to return power to the electorate not take more away. A modest and realistic compromise is alternative transfer voting (ATV), by which voters list their candidates in order of preference. It retains the simplicity of a single MP representing a specific area, and avoids party machines having control over who is at the top of the list. Every vote will count, as when minor parties are excluded their votes are redistributed to their next choice until one candidate achieves 50%.
On the economy the Government's policies are working; but this incredible success has been drowned out by the gibberish from Westminster. House prices have stabilised, the car scrapage scheme is resulting in increased sales, Sterling's value has recovered, inflation is coming back on target. The last indicator that will go +ve is unemployment. Now is not the time to distract the Government from it's most important task of rescuing the British economy from the Banker folly and greed.
I am writing this on Sunday afternoon in the knowledge that this evening two of the finest promoters of the interest of the East Midlands, Glenis Willmott (Labour) and Bill Newton Dunn (Lib-Dem) are likely to lose their seats as MEPs. To be replaced by whom? On the same weekend that we are honouring the sacrifice of those who fought on the Normandy beaches to rid Europe of National Socialism, it seems likely that we will be sending a member of the Nazi BNP to represent us in Brussels. What sort of message does this send to our allies?
Many former Labour voters supported the BNP not because they themselves are racist or fascist, but because they fear for their jobs and homes. We must address these issues. Simply kicking out a Black, Asian or a Pole from a job does not mean that you will get their job. What creates jobs is the commitment of the Labour Party to economic regeneration both locally and nationally; and what secures jobs for individuals is education and training. The Labour Party has invested in training and skills, in schools, colleges, universities and through workplace training and apprenticeships. The pressure on housing is almost exclusively due to demographic changes, we are living longer, marrying later, in choosing to live independently in our own homes in old age. Only the Labour Party is committed to building sufficient new homes to meet the nation's needs. We need to get this message out.
These are just a few of the policies rejected by Leicestershire voters on Thursday.
Waste: To investigate the use of anaerobic bio-digesters rather than simply building a giant incinerator.
Transport: To realistically examine reopening closed railway lines and opening a new stations. To make school buses are affordable. To reduce reliance on cars.
Housing: To support the need for new houses. Our towns are overcrowded, and rural villages of dying because young people can no longer afford to live there.
Older People: to promote realistic alternatives to privatised ( and thus lower cost ) care homes, including the use of technology to enable older people to choose to continue living in their own homes.
The future for Labour is bright. Our policies are correct. The economy is improving. It is time to take back control of our Party from unrepresentative cliques, who in my opinion seem only interested in their own promotion rather than the agenda for social change that we all believe in.
