I think Tony Woodley is essentially right here (thanks Ian): “The Labour party, the first major socialist party to embrace neoliberalism, now has to let go of it to have any future”.
Now, there are two possible explanations for the current unpopularity of the government in its long-neglected “core” areas of support (and yes, my choice of adjective kind of gives away my conclusion). One is that everyone loved Tony Blair and everyone hates Gordon Brown, thinking him much worse. This is obviously nonsense. After all, Brown was very popular during his first few months in office, Blair was scarcely well-liked, and as for the Brown government adopting worse policies, or indeed many different policies at all…I don’t believe that voters are stupid.
The second explanation is that the lack of difference is prcisely the problem. Many people, especially among working-class “natural” Labour supporters, genuinely thought Brown’s takeover, however unsatisfactory in its details, would bring the change necessary to the Labour government, getting rid of all the disastrous Thatcherite elements of “New Labour” ideology. People expected an end to the obsession with “market solutions”. They didn’t get it. And now they’re fed up: they’ve lost hope in politics.
It follows that the only thing that can rekindle that hope in politics, and save the country from the Tories, is a dramatic change in the whole policy agenda - considerably more dramatic, by the way, than Brown would have needed to enact to keep his popularity. “New Labour” is dead – unsalvageable – defunct – kaput. Do you get it now, you blithering gaggle of political strategists? The post-Thatcher consensus, in which Labour economic policy sought to be the social-democratic face of the free market, is dead, and you killed it with your ideological inflexibility.
You may have done the Labour Party and the labour movement a big favour. Because now the choice is stark: real change, and a reinvigorated Labour Party genuinely responsive to the labour movement, and setting the agenda with sweeping new reforms; or a Tory government, and unbridled Thatcherism without any attempt at social responsibility.
Make your choice. Go forward or step aside.
Yes, a timely article. In fact, just the sort of concusion this one time nulab enthusiast has recently come to (pre-Glasgow). Having spoken to an unscientific quantity of real people, I’ve decided that Brown (and not anybody else) just needs to be more Labour – and good God that’s a wierd thing for a nulab like me to say…
Comment by Matthew Friend — July 26, 2008 @ 2:07 am
Yes – and I think quite a few people are coming to the same conclusion. I agree also that a leadership challenge is not what’s needed. I think it’s just a way for the people who bear a lot of the responsibility to try to dodge the real issues.
Comment by Mike — July 26, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
Sadly your telling somebody who does not know they are dead, Brown still believes all his problems are caused by the public not voting for him because they do not understand Thatcherism or the global market.
Listen to them all to day, it’s not new Labour it’s not Brown it’s the rest of the world.
sadly your right the voters are not stupid, what New Labour has done is take a two party country and make it one Neocon. so for me the Tories are no better or no worse, so why not let them have a go, I’ll not vote Labour again.
Comment by Robert — July 27, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
Hi All, Well I seem to be the odd one out. I have just rejoined the Labour party after a long absence. Yes New Labour is dead. Those like Robert will stand on the sidelines as I did carping on about the surge to the right in the Labour Party. Look around and tell me who on the left is picking up disgruntled L.P. members? The answer is no one. the left out side the L.P. at the moment is incapable of uniting to make an alternative, and would take years to have a real impact. The key group is the trade unions, at the moment they are remaining loyal to Labour.
If and it is a big if the LRC can win alarge number of trade unions to swing behind them, at the same time use their financial power against New Labour this would have a fundamentle effect on the ballance of power.We could then begine to put progressive policies into being and win back working class support.
Comment by Bill B — August 17, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
Comment by sandrar — September 10, 2009 @ 1:21 pm