tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post2442829336879664079..comments2023-10-16T15:59:02.445+01:00Comments on NEIL HARDING: Where Now For The Split Left?Neil Hardinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-22394743731180010042009-07-04T19:54:00.289+01:002009-07-04T19:54:00.289+01:00So what your really saying is that there is no con...So what your really saying is that there is no consensus on the left that could unite the disparate groups enough to make a big push for power and implement their shared ideology.<br /><br />What makes you think that some sort of PR that led them to the point where they were continually squabbling over how to build a Government would be good for us? Even worse, what makes you think they could find enough policies to agree on what legislation would occupy a parliament for 5 years (actually, as I write that I think that would be a benefit). Finally, how could they agree when it comes to responding to extenal shocks?<br /><br />That glimpse of the future under PR scares me more than the thought of Brown as PM for another year followed by 5 years, at least, of Cameron.Simon Fawthrophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07519464855839416009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-29997149658766491772009-07-04T17:39:08.664+01:002009-07-04T17:39:08.664+01:00Falco, I am curious about the internal mechanics o...Falco, I am curious about the internal mechanics of the Tory party. For instance, I am under the impression that the local Conservative party does not have a vote in choosing their candidate and cannot deselect them. They can only affirm the candidate that is put infront of them. If true this makes the Labour party hierachy look like democrats. Plus remember that Tories (unlike Labour) do not get to show their frustration at party policies at party conference - the whole Tory charade is purely for the media, like US political rallies or like the Nazi's Nuremberg rallies.<br /><br />I could never join the Tories, because I cannot agree with their fundamental philosophy. The Tories talk about freedom, but they closed down social mobility - they pulled up the drawbridge and the middle and upper classes get the best of everything. Labour has been tentative and disappointing in trying to reverse this, but when you look at the stats - the Tories tripled inequality and poverty and Labour have stabilised it. Why has it not been reduced under Labour? It is complex but there is a timelag between changes in wealth and income inequality and also Labour have not targeted the super rich - the top 2%, they have just closed the gap between the poorest and the top half to top 10% of earners - accumulated wealth takes decades to be significantly affected by changes in income.Neil Hardinghttp://neilharding.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-17742454961863128792009-07-04T01:28:08.255+01:002009-07-04T01:28:08.255+01:00I'm genuinely sorry to hear you had such a run...I'm genuinely sorry to hear you had such a run around when standing for the Labour candidacy. We don't often agree on things but the left needs more honorable, (if slightly boneheaded in my view, (I have no interest in writing emoticons but imagine one winking if you like)), people standing.<br /><br />I think a great deal of the problem is along the lines of the issues you ran into. Those who lead the left seldom tolerate dissent and if you give two left leaders a piece of rope they will pull on opposite ends. A Tory MP I know told me that he decided to join the party because it was the only one that allowed a degree of freedom to say things outside or against the party line. That is something that those on the left need to be able to do without the cry of "Splitters!" being raised. The media reaction is part of it but the rot is from Labour HQ.Falcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02403217488563637871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1486850394110480082009-07-03T23:35:11.249+01:002009-07-03T23:35:11.249+01:00Amy, thanks for the comment and glad you liked the...Amy, thanks for the comment and glad you liked the analysis. Good to hear you get on well with Kevin and Juliet, there are still some good eggs in the Labour party, but the party both locally and nationally has lost its way. <br /><br />I am afraid I am fairly pessimistic about getting progress in the Labour party but still not convinced that being in another party is the best way to stop the Tories. <br /><br />Improving the Labour party is all about making it more democratic. When I went for the Labour candidacy for this ward, I was pulled aside and had to face an interview with leader Gill Mitchell and local secretary Dan Yates before I could give my speech to the members. They asked me whether I would ALWAYS vote with the Labour whip if I was elected. I answered that I couldn't give that guarantee, as it depended on how strongly I and local people felt about an issue. They repeated the question a few times rewording it and seemed dumbfounded at my refusal to agree with them. They left the room without a word, I was unsure whether they were going to let me speak. But I was eventually allowed to address the members - from what I heard afterwards I only lost the vote because the leadership outvoted the local members - democracy eh! Another member accused me of being undemocratic for refusing to bow to the Labour whip. This for me, signifies where Labour has gone wrong. I know all about 'collective responsibility' but if no-one EVER challenges the majority, you might as well have robots as councillors IMHO.<br /><br />It would be interesting to see some sort of left national coalition for change - Vernon Bogdanor, an Oxford academic on electoral systems (who also taught David Cameron) thinks PR will happen in the next 10 years because so many parties will gain seats in certain geographical areas that there will be perpetual hung parliaments. I hope he is right, but I think he underestimates the extent the main parties and media will go to to keep the status quo.<br /><br />I think the next 2 decades could be Tory, but the Tory vote is dying, just as Labours vote is, so maybe Bogdanor could be right - heres hoping.Neil Hardinghttp://neilharding.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-51796702814035061762009-07-03T21:59:40.484+01:002009-07-03T21:59:40.484+01:00Some interesting analysis and speculation in your ...Some interesting analysis and speculation in your post Neil, particularly in terms of Preston Park - in fairness to Juliet & Kevin, they work very hard in the ward and have a fairly solid personal vote behind them, for good reason (plus they've always been pretty decent to me on a personal level, and we work well as a team when it comes to advocating for residents - which is as it should be).<br /><br />I agree that a split Left is a recipe for Tory success under FPTP, but as an ex-Labour voter (from a family of Salford/Manchester Labour activists) who watched the party's principles being horrifically eroded under New Labour (ditching Clause IV was the beginning of the end for me, and the treatment of Red Ken over the Mayoral nomination in '99 was the last straw), I can't bring myself to vote for a party whose policies I don't agree with.<br /><br />Hence going over to the Dark (Green) Side. Oh, and the fact that to put it bluntly we're f***ed if we don't take urgent action on climate change - and Labour's half-arsed efforts in this area just don't cut it for me I'm afraid.<br /><br />Some sort of national coalition of the Left would obviously be desirable in terms of a tactical defeating of the Tories under FPTP, but let's face it - we (Labour, Greens, SWP, "No 2 EU" zzzzzzz) do in-fighting better than anyone. It takes real political and personal maturity to make these things work, as well as a degree of understanding and buy-in from the electorate.<br /><br />Thank you for getting me thinking this evening though!Amy Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09003065685199376306noreply@blogger.com