When I heard Liz Kendal set out her stall in front of all
those journalists, I couldn’t help but recount Joey Barton’s misogynistic analogy
of panel members during his appearance on Question Time last year. Leaning
across the desk, surveying the politicians of each party he stated, that
choosing between either of them was like, “choosing between four ugly girls.” It
didn’t matter which he chose as they were all the same. As the tussle amongst
the Labour ‘Prospectives’ continues with more of the same mild differentiation,
can Labour prepare for 2020. There are certain members of their party that have
suggested, perhaps not.
Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow during BBC’s Question Time,
suggested that the Labour Party had some chasmic soul searching to do. Now,
Although this is not a revelation by any measure, given Labour’s supposed
existential crisis, she seemed to be joining Tristram Hunt, Yvette Cooper and
other Labour figures in denouncing Ed Miliband’s, ‘I refuse to accept we
overspent,’ line. Obviously a politician’s admittance or non-admittance in this
case, on the subject of so called ‘overspending’ shows no respect whatsoever
for the task of presiding of our nation’s economic levers. It is clearly not as
simple as saying no we didn’t overspend or yes we did. It seems however, that Stella
Creasy together with other members of her party are beginning to nuance Labour’s
economic narrative.
Stephen Kinnock, Son of Neil and recently elected MP for
Aberavon told the Guardian that Labour needed to tailor a message to convince CEO’s
that, “equality is good for business, fairness is good for business. If you are
running a business you need them to be well educated, to have a health system
that works, Infrastructure that gets them to work on time…It’s about making the
business case for equality.” Stephen went on to speak on the need to federalise
Britain in order to retain the union in the long term, referring to the
decisions taken with respect to Scotland in the recent past as, ‘sticking
plasters’ and shared thoughts on rebranding Scottish Labour. “We need to think
radically he said.” Those candidates standing for Labour’s leadership offer
little in the way of hope for 2020 or a willingness to be introspective,
especially on the Economy.
Liz Kendal yesterday suggested that the Party simply needed believable
answers on questions such as Jobs, Immigration and the Economy. She said the
answers were ‘simple.’ I fear not Liz. Her prospectus offered a commitment to
the Government’s free schools policy and NATO’s wish for 2% of GDP for defence.
As simple as that, it seemed. These expulsions show that Kendall along with
many others many others are under the impression that Ed Miliband’s campaign
failure was based on a miscalculation that the country had swayed to the left
in its political viewpoint and to remedy this it would simply be enough to
squeeze up against the ‘one nation’ Tories, somewhere in the mystical middle
ground of politics (wherever that may be.)
The Keir Starmer’s (who recently ruled himself out of
running for leader) the Tom Watson’s and the Stephen Kinnock’s have got this
right perhaps. They have all ruled themselves out straight off the bat from
running for leader, irrespective of their supposed clout within the party. Tom
Watson, an MP that was influential in bringing down Tony Blair and who has more
than a fleeting interest in civil liberty is someone who, taken outside the
context of widespread discontent amongst traditional Labour voters, would make
a great ‘anti-Blairite’ or ‘anti-Brownite’ candidate for leader.’ Without
making too ferocious an assertion, each of these candidates I think has a more
long term reformist agenda and hence refuse to run.
Stephen Kinnock mentioned to the BBC just days ago that irrespective
of the outcome of this leadership contest a reassessment of the party’s
leadership may be in order prior to the 2020 election. This is not a new idea
either and shared by others. So, for all this vague waffle from candidates
about realigning the party back from the 1980’s style swing to the left, are
the real players lurking in the background waiting for Labour to regain, not
the political winds of the public but their trust. I think so.