New Labour Is Dead?

I realise that blogging about politics is always dangerous, but here goes.

Ed Milliband is now leader of the Labour party and has declared that New Labour is dead, although there are no plans for a “lurch to the left”.

This is promising news to me, as I have felt that, in the last decade and a half, the Labour party had been largely usurped by Blair and his friends. Back in the 1990’s, faced with the realisation that Labour policies were not going to get them into power, they abandoned them for policies that would get them in, but had nothing to do with Labour values. In doing so, they left traditional Labour supporters with no-one to represent them.

I don’t begrudge Tony his time at number 10 – his people won the election(s), so he got into power. What I have always objected to is that he did it in the name of Labour.

Will things change now? I really don’t know – I cheered in Tony, and look where that got me; within 5 years of his leadership, I had abandoned my support of the party in disgust. But I really do feel that if you truly believe in something, it is better to keep to your beliefs, no matter how unpopular they might be, and continue to fight in opposition; than to cynically adopt a popular position, simply to gain power. In doing so, you have prostituted yourself, and your opinion no longer counts.

I think that general principle applies no matter what your political views might be – Labour, Conservative, or even Lib-Dem. Even if your politics are totally different from my own; if you stick to what you genuinely believe, you have my respect.

7 Comments

  1. September 26, 2010
    Reply

    Hmm. If there are no plans for a “lurch to the left,” I wonder what the alleged death of New Labour actually signifies? (And the little voice inside my head at once pipes up “a lurch to the right”…)

    Personally I’m not sure a Lurch on either side is an asset to a political party. A Gomez, now, or a Morticia…

    • chris
      September 26, 2010
      Reply

      “I wonder what the alleged death of New Labour actually signifies”

      Hopefully, the death of political opportunism, a return to basic Labour principles, and an abandonment of allegience to whatever focus groups are in vogue at any particular moment in time. A return to cabinet politics instead of presidential, and an acceptance that dissent from within the party is a healthy sign of thinking minds, not an enemy to be disparaged or destroyed.

      But then again, it might just be a handy soundbite.

    • September 26, 2010
      Reply

      That’s odd. The little voice inside my head pipes up “and a step to the ri-i-i-i-ight”.

  2. September 27, 2010
    Reply

    Blimey! You’ve really got to stop this. I am finding that you and I agree on more and more things.

    It’s starting to get spooky, I tell you!

    As for what you said – Abso-bloody-lutely!

    • chris
      September 27, 2010
      Reply

      What – you think it was just a handy soundbite too? 🙂

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