Comments
Labour needs to fight on record to stop Tory vandalism
2009-10-05 14:28:40
Even within the Labour Party, people sometimes ask why I keep banging on about the need to keep banging on about the government's record.
The last 24 hours have shown the reason.
Imagine that when he was avoiding answers to serious policy questions in Manchester yesterday, David Cameron had suddenly piped up that he was gettting rid of the NHS. You do not need to think too long or hard before having a clear sense of what the outcry would be.
Why? Because the NHS is now woven into the fabric of our national life, has helped millions of people, and is so popular despite things sometimes going wrong that the Tories do not dare go against its basic principles even though many on the right would like to.
It is also in such a strong position because ever since its inception Labour people have never stopped expressing their pride in such a wonderful creation.
I am not going to pretend that Sure Start or the New Deal are in the same league. They are nonetheless important developments brought in by this Labour government, which have had a beneficial impact on many people's lives, in the main the kind of people that David Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson do not really know because they tend to mix with their own type.
Yet these people, wealthy, elitist, and bizarrely possessed of the notion that they could run the country, can talk happily about cutting such schemes and - in part because our top media people tend not to mix with the Sure Start and New Deal people either - this comes and goes with barely a whimper.
The fault for this cannot all be laid at the door of the media however, or even of the Tories who not surprisingly would like to be back in government after so many years out of power. The fault also lies with Labour politicians and supporters for failing to do enough to set out the record in such a way that when VacuDave and Co come along to dismantle it, there is a huge and genuine outcry.
And that is why defending the record matters. Of course elections are about the future. But the past is always important as an indicator of what the future may hold. The Tories opposed the New Deal because as they showed in the global financial crisis they do not believe governments can make a difference when it comes to creating jobs (which is why all his welfare reform wafffle is so implausible). These are the people who said the minimum wage would cost two million jobs. Another part of the record that has to be defended against them.
Sure Start to them is some kind of Statist interventionist interference in the running of family life. They just do not get it, which is why it means nothing to them to say whey they would get rid of it.
And when Boris comes out with his ideas for £5 billion worth of cuts, he does so mindful only of their impact within the Tory Party as he lines himself up to take on Cameron at some point. He could not give a toss about their impact on people's lives and livelihoods.
Labour has a good record. Defending it between now and an election is a vital part of getting in the right shape to fight that election. It is important for what it says about us. Their desire to dismantle so much of it underlines what it says about them.
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Maggie's legacy not as great as she thinksPublish date: 2009-05-05 08:33:02
Here's hoping Cardiff is metaphor for CameronPublish date: 2009-05-04 09:38:30
More Mr Benn and Co pleasePublish date: 2009-05-03 10:03:00
Going Fourth with JPPublish date: 2009-05-02 18:25:41
Journalism - print first, think laterPublish date: 2009-05-02 09:10:01
In praise of two poetsPublish date: 2009-05-01 10:26:36
JP hits the road againPublish date: 2009-04-29 18:52:11
My night with Eddie IzzardPublish date: 2009-04-29 10:53:25
Explaining the 50p top tax ratePublish date: 2009-04-28 09:22:53
George Best and Martin McGuinnessPublish date: 2009-04-27 09:02:35
Cameron confused over indepdendence and impartialityPublish date: 2009-04-26 12:20:56
Guide ro Marathon running part 2Publish date: 2009-04-25 11:01:34
Good signals on coal and the OlympicsPublish date: 2009-04-24 10:45:28
Tips for the London MarathonPublish date: 2009-04-23 17:29:27
Missed the Budget, saw why it matteredPublish date: 2009-04-22 23:09:31
Football good, politics bad. AllegedlyPublish date: 2009-04-22 00:00:24
The Great Wall gets greaterPublish date: 2009-04-21 09:55:22
Two sides to police storyPublish date: 2009-04-20 11:39:54
Budgets, Balls, billionaires and Susan BoylePublish date: 2009-04-19 12:31:45
Do muscles have memories?Publish date: 2009-04-18 09:44:44
Bring back standing at footballPublish date: 2009-04-17 14:50:22
When Facebook friends fall outPublish date: 2009-04-16 12:29:16
Guardian sightings and the email and bath plug agendaPublish date: 2009-04-15 11:32:16
The spin is all in the prismPublish date: 2009-04-14 09:22:41
A setback, not a crisisPublish date: 2009-04-13 12:55:19
The real lessons from Damian McBridePublish date: 2009-04-12 10:49:47
Will English always be the dominant language?Publish date: 2009-04-11 10:02:02
On the pipes and what makes a ScotPublish date: 2009-04-10 11:06:20
John Prescott lazy? NO WAYPublish date: 2009-04-09 09:11:31
David Frost is seventyPublish date: 2009-04-08 08:48:38
The Speaker, BBC2, tonight and tomorrow 8pmPublish date: 2009-04-07 14:25:31
Obama, colds and being woken by Korean missilesPublish date: 2009-04-06 11:59:24
When a call matters more than protocolPublish date: 2009-04-05 11:33:42
Green Cities Champions LeaguePublish date: 2009-04-04 10:19:53
Could Cameron have delivered the G20 deal?Publish date: 2009-04-03 10:11:59
Of Benn and BonoPublish date: 2009-04-02 08:21:16
Memo to Sarko - allez vite a LondresPublish date: 2009-04-01 08:46:17
Happy April Fool's DayPublish date: 2009-04-01 01:44:05
Eurostar, Le Monde and a thought for the G20 sherpasPublish date: 2009-03-31 09:17:22
Why Kevin Rudd made an impactPublish date: 2009-03-30 10:24:41
Pre-G20 hype matters less than post-G20 processPublish date: 2009-03-29 13:17:28
The Damned UnitedPublish date: 2009-03-28 10:37:04
A hobby horse, a plug and a bit of sportPublish date: 2009-03-27 10:22:23
Cloughie - he had a lot to be big-headed aboutPublish date: 2009-03-26 09:38:36
A sad sight of the old fearing the youngPublish date: 2009-03-25 17:03:07
Post-modern, post-structural, or bullshit?Publish date: 2009-03-25 08:18:02
Learning the right lessons from ObamaPublish date: 2009-03-24 08:53:15
Lazy Dave needs to keep an eye on lazy KenPublish date: 2009-03-23 11:16:14
Farewell favourite restaurant, hello hometownPublish date: 2009-03-22 08:18:09
Dave, Danny and have the Tories really changed?Publish date: 2009-03-21 08:55:13
Life beyond Dover ...Publish date: 2009-03-20 10:11:21
My friends in The New Statesman - Fergie, Fiona, Tony, Sarah, Kevin, 'Dacre,' and a great GB idea for the G20Publish date: 2009-03-18 10:38:22
Iraq, Iran, GB, Obama and diplomatic chessPublish date: 2009-03-17 10:07:13
The Age of StupidPublish date: 2009-03-16 08:27:13
Is all change good?Publish date: 2009-03-15 10:00:06
The pressure of being a post-modern sex godPublish date: 2009-03-14 10:00:55
Cameron still hasn't sealed the deal with businessPublish date: 2009-03-13 09:21:49
Stand up for social workersPublish date: 2009-03-12 08:31:17
Surely Malcolm Tucker could have told Armando Ianucci ... You can't spin a spinnerPublish date: 2009-03-11 10:58:25
Start of a new approach from Labour?Publish date: 2009-03-10 09:54:12
A peace process still strongPublish date: 2009-03-09 08:21:05
Day of destiny for the real footballer of the yearPublish date: 2009-03-08 09:21:06
Private advice to Peggy Mitchell - the leaked note in fullPublish date: 2009-03-07 08:17:21
Boris, the Tories and the tummy-tickling poodle pressPublish date: 2009-03-06 09:49:37
A day in the life of the self-obsessed TV reporterPublish date: 2009-03-05 07:55:47
GB - good speech, well deliveredPublish date: 2009-03-04 19:31:05
Notes on the environment, a role in EastEndersPublish date: 2009-03-04 10:58:56
She may be my 'wife' but it is time to rebut!Publish date: 2009-03-03 10:52:59
Some speeches matter more than othersPublish date: 2009-03-02 12:04:45
Mental health and the Carling Cup FinalPublish date: 2009-03-01 09:08:17
Inside the chocolate factoryPublish date: 2009-02-28 10:23:59
GB on the G20, JP on Jeremy KylePublish date: 2009-02-27 09:14:36
Charity and the credit crunch, please give generously!Publish date: 2009-02-26 08:55:12
Why oh why are the Tories not home and dry?Publish date: 2009-02-24 09:44:59
Me, Dermot and ten top songsPublish date: 2009-02-23 10:02:19
Names round-upPublish date: 2009-02-22 08:43:39
What's in a name?Publish date: 2009-02-21 09:58:14
Editing the New StatesmanPublish date: 2009-02-20 11:42:36
Salute Peter M’s proper use of the F wordPublish date: 2009-02-19 09:58:58
Labour's communications challenge for the NHSPublish date: 2009-02-18 10:34:39
In praise of KeighleyPublish date: 2009-02-17 14:33:57
A night at the EmiratesPublish date: 2009-02-17 00:06:51
When marriage is testedPublish date: 2009-02-16 13:36:35
Spare me the myths and the whiningPublish date: 2009-02-15 13:29:50
Dave Cameron - is that all there is?Publish date: 2009-02-14 11:11:55
Boris Johnson: F is for ...Publish date: 2009-02-13 07:55:10
The Cameron vacuumPublish date: 2009-02-12 14:48:33
Lincoln, Obama, Blair and the 24 hour media culturePublish date: 2009-02-11 10:28:47
Eighteen interviews later ...Publish date: 2009-02-10 19:24:45
Time to talk about Time to Change on NewsnightPublish date: 2009-02-09 22:47:49
So that’s what they mean by online community?Publish date: 2009-02-08 12:12:51
First blogPublish date: 2009-02-05 15:23:57
Leo
2009-10-05 23:53:09"Labour has a good record". Er... Unjust wars? Failing the armed forces? Encouraging the City before the crunch? Failing to give us a vote on Europe? Boom and bust? Spin? National debt? Expenses? Vaulting ambition? Record unemployment? Grade inflation? Knife crime? Stop and search? Kettling? No protests around Westminster? Stream of consciousness I know but, really, a "Labour has a good record"?
ollie
2009-10-05 23:28:44Campbell, are you back spinning your cynicism with the government? I see Darling has announced - today - some pay freezes in the public sector. Hhmm - forget to do it last week, did he?
What utter, desperate cynicism to try and regain the news cycle in the midst of the Tory conference.
The public are sick of you and Labour's twisted spin - but the result is all that matters, right?
Alina Palimaru
2009-10-05 23:01:45To those who criticize government programs... have you ever heard of a perfect government program? Probably not. The policy cycles are long and complex, and success depends in equal measure on policy-makers as well as on those who implement policy. Mistakes can happen, but that is not to say that a program is a total failure. So it would be better to not play the 'government waste' card to the detriment of the benefits of the program.
Another pertinent question is what would the Tories do? As their communication suggests so far, not much.
Finally, I would like to copy a comment posted by Marcus Dillistone on AC's FB page which I thought was very articulate:
"At a time when the rest of the western world (and beyond) is looking towards a future based on social inclusion and fairness, will the UK move out of sync. by electing David Cameron?"
Think twice before you vote people!
gary Enefer
2009-10-05 22:15:15'Vacudave' won't catch on so please drop it and forget it-it cheapens your blog.
Alan Quinn
2009-10-05 21:27:00Alastair, yourself and Romper Room Control didn't pick on Dave's promise yet again to visit employment law when he was interviewed by Marr. This means he wants to take the UK out of the Social Chapter, at the least he will do away with the Warwick Agreement where employers cannot count bank holidays as part of 4 wks guaranteed leave.
If we told voters that some of them would be 8 days per year holiday worse off I'm sure they'd be worried about Dave being the PM.
Also Dave states that Labour are the party of unemployment. Geogeous George has already stated he wants to cut Typhoon, A400M and the two carriers.
As the tories are in the North West of England and Dave wants to win seats here he could explain where the skilled workers who work on Typhoon at Samlesbury and Warton are going to go? Where the skilled workers who work on A400M at Chester will go? Where the skilled ship workers at Barrow who work on the carriers will go?
Wherer will the skilled workers who work for the myriad of SME's go when these companies who depend on the likes of BAE and Rolls lose orders due to tory cuts? Or will Dr Fox state that we will all benefit due to the savings made by buying off the shelf US defence equipment as he did last year at Birmingham?
Charlie
2009-10-05 19:42:30@AC "These are the people who said the minimum wage would cost two million jobs. Another part of the record that has to be defended against them.......Even within the Labour Party, people sometimes ask why I keep banging on about the need to keep banging on about the government's record."
Indeed. Your record for disseminating Disingenuous/False Information is unsurpassed in the Modern World.
Rumi
2009-10-05 19:32:13Excellent post from Nick. I too worked on the DWP's Ambition:IT project, the 'second phase' of New Deal. Here's what Brown said in 2001:
'(It...involves our leading computer and IT companies: Cisco Systems, IBM, Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young, Dixons, ICL, EDS, Oracle, BT and Microsoft, and we are grateful to all of them for joining this new and exciting partnership for jobs.'
Hardly any of them took any staff (though they all wanted to cosy up to Govt), the project was expected to deliver 5000 jobs but it only managed a tenth of that. And it was scrapped after 3 years because it was too expensive. When Alistair goes on about Labour's record, too many of us have witnessed the reality. Waste,hype and too little fundamental change.
Stuart Kaufman
2009-10-05 18:53:50It was good to meet you and Callum at Turf Moor on Saturday. I've wanted to meet you for ages if only to forgive that Harvey Court incident. I apologise for having been so dismissive of Burnley on that occasion too! Thanks again for everything you've done for the Party over the years (I was a Labour Councillor in Bury 1996-2000). My 14 year old Ben is more interested in his electric guitar than politics (he's on Youtube). Does Callum play drums? regards Stuart Kaufman
Nick
2009-10-05 16:26:28A.C - you are talking complete nonsense about New Deal, and whats more, I suspect that you know it.
I worked in the DWP for many years, and administered New Deal at a fairly senior level after 1997. I saw it in action, in inner city Jobcentres. It was riddled with flaws, waste and gimmickry. I am happy to list a few, if Campbell-followers are interested. Claimants were basically bribed to sign off and sign on again, advisers in Jobcentres were given pay induced targets to support this, in order for Gordon Brown [then Chancellor] and Darling and Harman [then DWP ministers] to pronounce that New Deal was a "great success".
New Deal has done NOTHING to help youth unemployment. Those that were capable/willing in the 18-24 age group...guess what...found jobs anyway.
The rest- one might call them Labours 'innit' payroll vote...are now going through New Deal Gateway for the 8th or 9th time.
Michael
2009-10-05 15:41:27Wealthy and elitist eh? Your old boss went to Fettes, the Scottish Eton, and Harriet Harman went to the same school as George Osbourne. Mandelson, Purnell and Ruth Kelly all studied PPE at Oxford. Indeed, we are run by and Oxbridge mafia in both the media and politics. Their tragic burden is to help the oppressed, but blind, majority.
Helene Watt
2009-10-05 15:31:13Boris is fast becoming an embarassment to Cameron. He obviously has a big ego and he lets his mouth run ahead of himself. I am looking forward to the dramatisation of their toffee nosed upper class student days. Get the Bullingdon club photo up on posters. These people are revolting. They are from a different planet to people who use sure start or new deal
Charles Pearce
2009-10-05 15:28:47Had exact same thought yesterday as they blithely talked about cuttting this that and the other. Surely Labour can do a better job of galvanising the support needed to maintain these programmes and projects. I felt last week that some of the fight was coming back but apart from Miliband on Europe last night I see no energy in our respomse to the tories at the moment
kate Mayger
2009-10-05 15:17:56We haven't been getting our message out for over 2 years now.
I just can't see it happening now.
The Daily Mirror just is not up to the fight and cannot be relied upon by a Labour government to get stories they need out there.
I fear for the UK when I hear the likes of Michael Gove on the Today programme equating SKY+ as an example of decentralised goverment.
I'm sure my anger levels about the Tories and more importantly how we have thrown away opportunities will only increase as we get closer to an election.
We may end up (not given up hope yet) voting out a government that has pulled this country out of recession and continued to invest in its future and replace it with what looks like it will be the worst.
@jlocke13
2009-10-05 14:47:32......"wealthy, elitist, and bizarrely possessed of the notion that they could run the country..." I though for the moment you were describing yourself, or perhaps harriet harman or even the richest MP, Shaun Woodward ...sorry Alastair, wealth and elitism are not just confined to the Tory party!
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