It is said that Margaret Thatcher’s greatest legacy was New Labour, and in many regards this is the inheritance that Labour has to overcome. Gordon Brown had a great opportunity to break with the past by making some big, bold changes, but he fluffed the chance. So too had (has, just possibly) Ed Miliband. But rather than announcing something ambitious, he set in train a two year review of Labour’s policies. That might work for Labour Policy Forum anoraks like Simon Burgess (its national vice chair), it leaves most voters cold and bemused.
But there is another legacy of Thacher – the “enemy within”. This was a phrase famously coined by the Iron Lady for trade unionists, most notably Arthur Scargill. She had seen off the Argentinians in the Falklands War, and she turned her sights on the unions. Under the disastrous leadership of Neil Kinnock, Labour turned on Scargill and then other ‘enemies within’ – Militant, the left generally, and then under Blair, the Brownites. So much of Labour defined itself as Blairite or Brownite, even though there was not that much in policy terms to separate them. After the fall of Brown, the primary points of reference related to the Miliband of Brothers, Ed and David.
Labour used to describe itself as a ‘broad church’. There have always been those on the right (traditional social democrats), the soft left (Fabians), the non-aligned left (in Brighton these even included Christian Socialists), and Trotskyists (divided into as many sects as there were members). This mindset persists. Recently in conversation with me, someone referred to the “Trots” as though they were as unpleasant as their namesake! Little credit was given to the positive contribution Militant made to the building of the Party in Brighton, and to the success in 1986 when Labour took control of the old Brighton Council.
The leadership of any political party finds dissent difficult, and some times the dissenters can be a right pain in the proverbial. But that is a small price to pay for a vibrant political party. Labour in Brighton and Hove should seek to become, once again, that broad church, inviting and welcoming anyone and everyone who is left of centre. Sadly, it is unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future. Labour is still licking its wounds from the last general and local elections, viewing the Greens as the new ‘enemy within’. I cannot count how many times in conversation Labour activists have been quick to attack the Greens in general and Caroline Lucas in particular. This constant sniping makes Labour look churlish and sectarian. Not attractive qualities.
The Greens offer a broad church for those concerned about environmental issues, and attract support and members from former Labour, Lib Dem and even Tory members and supporters. While this is a strength, it is also a weakness. The Greens don’t offer an ideological home for the left and socialists in particular. I am more likely to say “I am a socialist, which is why I joined Labour” that “I am a socialist, which is why I joined the Greens”. But at the moment most on the unaligned left are not likely to say either.
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Caroline Lucas, Christian Socialists, David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Falklands War, Gordon Brown, Greens, Labour, Margaret Thatcher, Militant, Neil Kinnock, Policy Forum, Simon Burgess, Tony Blair |
Brighton Politics Blog 
Are you talking about ‘the disastrous leadership of Neil Kinnock’ that led Labour from the brink of third party obscurity in 1983 to the brink of power in 1992?
He had his faults, for sure, but disastrous??
And Militant were not known for their touchy-feely broad church approach. Ditto Scargill. If you weren’t a true believer, you generally got told to eff off to the SDP.
Other than that the broad thrust of what you’re saying is fine.I just think you need to take off the rose tinted glasses regarding the hard left of old, not that they matter much any longer.
This is the critical problem with Labour in 2011 after Tony Blair’s deceitfulness and Gordon Brown’s unconfident premiership. No clear identity and too much baggage. I can’t fathom why anyone would want to join the Labour party today.
Moribund, caretaker leader Ed’s only available strategy is to ask the public what they think Labour’s next policies should be.
It’s true and insightful that there is always a small degree of tension in the Green Party due to the broad spectrum of its membership but what unites us is the acceptance and encouragement of fresh ideas and the embracement of grass roots democracy to agree on our policies.