Labour MP attacks party's 'deafening silence' on policy

[T_i_B]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23654451

Labour needs to do more to produce clear policies ahead of the next general election, one of the party's MPs has told the BBC. Graham Stringer told Radio 4's The World This Weekend there had been a "deafening silence" from the shadow cabinet on policy matters.

Mr Stringer said: "The real worry is the almost deafening silence there has been from the shadow cabinet at a time of the year which is traditionally a ripe time for the opposition to attack the government - while the government are on their holidays and thinking about other things. The opposition has always used that as a way to put policies into the public's mind and to have a go at anywhere the government has failed. I think the party is genuinely worried about the lack of activity in the shadow cabinet."

Mr Stringer insisted: "I don't believe that members of the shadow cabinet are lazy in any sense - I think it is stemming from a lack of coherence and cogency of our policy." He added it was "not quite clear" what the party's policies were on welfare, housing and education.

Mr Stringer's comments come after fellow backbencher John Mann called on the party's MPs to end public criticism of the leadership. On Saturday, Mr Mann wrote on Twitter: "Time for iron discipline amongst Labour MPs. Stop whinging. Message to Ed: give them the boot."

[LeftishBrit]

1. I am not unbiased here as I seriously dislike Graham Stringer

He is the one who promoted the view that there is no such thing as dyslexia, and that the problem would disappear if everyone was taught exclusively synthetic phonics! I know the issue probably seems trivial to many others, but I work in areas relating to education and specific learning difficulties; so I feel strongly about such asinine statements! More broadly, I feel that anyone who can be so simplistic and dogmatic on one issue cannot be fully trusted on others.

To be fair, he did vote in the right way on one very important issues: against going into Iraq!

On the issue more broadly, I do think that Labour need more policies, but they need to be the right (i.e. not Right) policies! In particular, serious defence of the public services; opposition to economic Thatcherism; a move to job creation and growth-related policies, rather than just somewhat less harsh cuts than those of the Tories. Not really holding my breath, though.

[non sociopath skin]

2. Here's what gets me about the present attitudes to Labour

Last edited Mon Aug 12, 2013, 02:06 PM - Edit history (1)

I have no illusions. I've met Ed Miliband and like him but his capacity for political leadership is currently "not proven," to say the least. And there are still too many Blairites skulking around playing the same old "it's about doing capitalism better" tune on the same old fiddle, as the UK burns.

But is it my imagination or weren't we being told unanimously by the Great and Good (including the Labour panjandrums) after the last election that there was no way that Labour was going to be a political force again for a decade and that their strategy would have to be for 2020 because there was NO chance of a victory in 2015? And wasn't the coalition going to make that MORE likely? Likewise Miliband's "unfortunate" leadership victory?

But now it's doom and double-doom because, two years before 2015, they "only" have a consistent single-digit lead in the polls?

And what kind of a "roll" exactly is a government on when, two years in, no-one can remember the last time the lead party had a poll lead and the other is in a nose-dive?

As we say hereabouts, "hawway, man ...."

The Skin

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. The lead isn't quite as much as "consistent double-digits"

http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/voting-intention-2

It's a consistent lead, but it's more like an average of 6 or 7 percentage points, recently. I think the crucial question, if nothing else changes before the election, is how UKIP voting will affect Tory-held marginals. If the UKIP vote holds up in those seats, it should be OK; but if people now saying they'll vote UKIP decide there's no chance of winning in the marginals, and vote tactically for the Tories, then it could be a very close election (another No Overall Majority?)


One thing I think more definite policy statements might do is attract back voters who sometimes vote Labour, but went Lib Dem in 2010. Sometimes you can win by saying "we're not the government", but sometimes it will take something more positive.

[non sociopath skin]

4. Sorry, Mu, "consistent double digits" was a typo which I corrected.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

5. This is an old gripe for me.......

Sometimes you can win by saying "we're not the government", but sometimes it will take something more positive.

One of the biggest complaints I have with the Labour party for a long time now is that the party is far too reliant on the "vote for us or it's the Tories" argument. That's been the case since the Blair years. As much as I find the coalition repellent, I don't have confidence that Labour will do anything to reverse the worst policies of this government. Indeed many of the worst policies of this government such as Workfare are carrying on from where the previous government left off.

Ed Miliband has not done much to stop the drift, and it's difficult to see any of the top brass in Labour doing much to stop the drift either to be honest. Too many careerists who climbed up the greasy pole during the Blair years.