That other Labour Party

Lisa & Ian Murray seamus at accessone.com
Fri Mar 2 15:43:23 PST 2001


<http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,445114,00.html> Coalition of dreamers

These leftwingers are a bit like that scene from The Life of Brian: 'What did the Romans ever do for us?'

Special report: New Labour in power

Polly Toynbee Friday March 2, 2001 The Guardian

The noble portals of the St Ermine's hotel, a stone's throw from the Palace of Westminster, have witnessed much of the tug of war on the left over the past few decades. Yesterday, inappropriately renamed the Jolly St Ermine's, it played host to a voice from yesteryear - Dave Nellist, former Militant Labour MP, now Socialist Alliance chair, launching their general election campaign. It was he, in his wry and charming way, who referred to this as the spot where rightwing Labour plotters used to gather two decades ago - the founders of the social democratic party, splitters on the other side. (Like me.) This coalition of Militant and the Socialist Workers party is putting up 100 candidates in England and Wales, one in all 72 Scottish seats, enough to guarantee them a party political broadcast. But unity on the left is still tricky. Arthur Scargill, standing in Hartlepool for his Socialist Labour party, will not answer their letters, but despite that, in a brotherly gesture the Alliance will not put up a candidate against him (and Peter Mandelson). The first questioner to leap to her feet at the press conference was from Worker's Tannoy, demanding to know why the Socialist Alliance had supported Ken Livingstone, "who is not a socialist!" Next up was someone demanding to know whether Socialist Alliance had abandoned Troops Out of Ireland and revolution as the path to socialism? Nellist was evasive on both, saying they hadn't quite decided yet, but he'd let her know. "Oh, I see, answer's in the post, eh?" she snorted. Those too young to remember scenes such as these from the 70s and 80s might get the general flavour from the Judaean People's Liberation Front in The Life of Brian. (We will come to what the Romans did for us later.)

Their policies? Take a blank piece of paper, think blue sky and green field and dream of a world that is a better place than this, unfallen angels in an Eden of goodness where all manner of things shall be well. Every child and adult will be immediately lifted out of poverty, benefits will be restored to 16-year-olds, pensioners will not be means tested so all get the minimum income guarantee, free nurseries and childcare for all, rail and buses renationalised, abolish the monarchy, legalise cannabis, open the borders to free immigration, abandon Nato and the European Union, increase foreign aid, bring in a 35-hour week, a minimum wage of £7 an hour, abolish private schools, free breakfast and lunch for all children, free grants for all students, freeze council rents, renationalise water and make it free and a whole lot more besides.

How will it be paid for? There was some confusion about whether or not the budget was included in the press pack. (It wasn't, it would be following in a few days.) But the rough outline called for swingeing wealth and property taxes, socking great income tax rises for the rich and companies, slashing military spending, plus using the giant surplus the miserly chancellor is sitting on. No pain, all gain. Nellist is no Scargill, a sincere and decent man - but more vicar than politician.

Who are their target voters? "The working classes, the millions not the millionaires". They are after the disillusioned, disenfranchised, disenchanted, going for the "won't vote" vote. Psephologist Professor Paul Whiteley, writing in the Guardian yesterday, predicted that voting may drop at the next election to levels unseen since 1918 - down from 1997's already low 72% to a projected 65% this time. Many more Labour supporters say they won't vote this time than disaffected stay-at-home Tories. Among these there are potential rich pickings for a Socialist Alliance offering instant nirvana. Votes will be counted in saved deposits, not seats won - but the real aim is to shift Labour policies. There are plenty of MPs and indeed some ministers in peril of losing their seats where Alliance intervention might be a killer. By Whiteley's calculation, some 52 Labour MPs stand to lose through Labour voters' apathy. It may be better to hope the young might at least vote Alliance than not vote at all. But those 52 threatened MPs might prefer to try winning them over with a bit more visionary inspiration.

For us old troopers, there is no romance on the dotty left. The bad old days when these folk were inside the Labour tent fighting like rats in sacks are still a raw memory. A majority of Labour members may secretly yearn for many Socialist Alliance policies in their hearts: cannabis, monarchy, no privatising tube or air traffic, 35-hour week, universal nurseries and more. But if they had sat listening yesterday to the trashing of Labour's achievements, they would spit with fury. What did Labour (the Romans) ever do for us? A lot, and a lot more to come. How dare Dave Nellist and Mark Steel talk of "Labour cuts" just as more money than ever before comes on stream? They are quite wrong to suggest Labour's heart is not with the poor, when all the first money has poured towards them - pensioners, children, minimum wage and all. In fact the more vigorously the Alliance campaigns, the better it may be for Labour, so unjust and outrageous is their refusal to admit Labour is one iota better than the Tories.

Critical friends have a hard time steering between admiration for New Labour's success and urging it on to do better. Militant et al represent the politics of 18 years of failure, but that does not mean that every one of their policies is unthinkable. Look at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Fabians, Labour's two closest think-tanks - sane, wise and clever political realists. Both are now pressing Labour to be bolder, more radical - yes, more leftwing in a modern context. The Fabian's great tome on tax and spending, the result of long deliberation by a commission chaired by Lord Plant, came up with excellent plans for a fair wealth tax and higher income tax for earnings over £100,000. It does not take raving loony lefties to propose such a thing, for the IPPR also wants the rich taxed more in national insurance and pension perks.

The IPPR has just produced its own manifesto calling for a "more ambitious agenda" for the next election, questioning why one of the most prosperous countries in the world is still so un equal, something the government ducks. Quality of life is the true measure of a successful society, not mere economic progress, they say. They call for turning Railtrack into a non-profit trust, reducing prison numbers, proportional representation to re-engage voters, a new deal for refugees and work/life balance rights.

None of this is wild stuff. This is the new boldness of Labour party thinkers realising that in a strong second term, a great leap forward is now thinkable. There is an important difference between Labour's sworn enemies and its friends who sometimes criticise its timidity and lack of ambition. Growing numbers in the Commons and on the inner loops fear Labour's next manifesto will lack new vision. Why, they ask, is Labour always happier to disappoint its own ranks than offend those interests who will never support Labour anyway?

polly.toynbee at guardian.co.uk



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