James Purnell: New Labour is not dead and buried – it's in rude health
The credit crunch’s biggest effect may be to rebalance the political spectrum
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
When times are tough, everybody needs to make difficult decisions. For individuals, it's about what we prioritise.
For the Government, it is no different. As we face up to the financial crisis, the Government has a choice to make: do we consolidate what we now have or do we set out a bold agenda to make radical change. This week, Labour will set out its legislative programme for the year, and increase the pace of reform.
Our public spending plans are based on achieving £35bn of efficiencies. At the same time, the public want to see better school results, better health and more people getting back in to work. We will accelerate public service reform so we can ensure that services can get better and more efficient at the same time.
So, in welfare, we will go further, faster. Some people say we should be slowing down because of the economic downturn. I passionately believe we should be doing the opposite.
Our support works. It changes the lives of lone parents, of the unemployed, of people with disabilities. It's because it works that we want more people to take it up.
And if it is harder for people to find work, then we should increase the support, not roll back the obligations. To do anything else would be to repeat the Tory mistakes of the Eighties and Nineties when the unemployment figures were fiddled and millions were shuffled on to incapacity benefit and trapped there, scarring communities for generations.
Since 1997, we have made it clear that people need to look for work, and in return provided support through the New Deal. Future reform will ensure that virtually everyone has a clear obligation to look for work, or prepare for work. This matters now more than ever.
Those who have recently speculated on the death of New Labour are in for something of a shock: New Labour is in rude health, as these changes show.
The basic idea of New Labour was that the party had been held back by our tendency to let once sensible policy positions become unquestionable and unending ideological commitments. The central insight was the same as Crosland's – that the Labour Party had always got means and ends mixed up. Too often, the Labour Party had made a fetish of state action when the means should have been whatever it took to get the ends achieved.
In a time of crisis, what it takes is a public stake in banks and a sharing of the tax burden. That's not the death of New Labour, it's a pragmatic response to a crisis. It's using the power of government to make markets work again.
It is a bold decision. There are political risks. But it is Cameron's Tories who have really bet the house. They have closed their eyes, averted their gaze, crossed their fingers and hoped that the economy doesn't get better. That's a strange wish to have – to hope that the fiscal stimulus doesn't work.
In truth, the real death this week was not of New Labour but of Tory New Labour posturing. Their modernisation has been exposed as a spray job. This week has shown that they are sceptical, as a matter of faith, that government can do much to support the economy. They have ended up in a traditional place: opposed to extra spending but with no constructive suggestion about what government should do.
As an opposition they have been left doing politics on a reflex. And when asked what they would do instead, they have been dumfounded. And it is this, the complete absence of any notion of what the Conservative party is for, not the financial crisis, that has left them looking out of their depth. The path out of recession, and the decade that follows, will be defined by the calls that politicians make today.
Over time, the credit crunch's biggest political effect may be to rebalance the political spectrum – to underline the argument that we should be ideological about ends, but not about means. That, combined with the Democrats' victory in America, puts a turbo-booster under progressive politics.
The next Election will be won by those who can inspire voters with their vision of how Britain can change – of how our country can be better. But when, like Cameron and Osborne, you are apathetic about the role of politics to make a difference, then your message inevitably ends up being, "no we can't".
In contrast, Gordon Brown has proven that we truly are at our best when at our boldest. Once today's turbulent times have become yesterday's news, we need to show that we can be just as bold about the future as we have been in a crisis. That boldness will grow from renewing New Labour, not burying it.
The writer is the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
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Comments
28 Comments
The situation is kinda complex but spray jobs from a the Tories are merely a reflection concerning Mr Purnells own Partys expertise. When it comes to spray & spin New Labour not only wrote the book but turned crap-art into a viable business. They sacrificed everything on the high altar of big business; when this failed they borrowed the printing presses and are now doing the greatest fake to ever be daubed on the canvas of a modern economy.(excluding the US of A who their copying, the blind leading the blind) Hoping it'll get them the election...but James here like his friends, on both sides of the house, haven't a clue what to do with a win. Business is coming but but not as usual...it's called social revolt and it's a train that won't be stopped - no matter who pretends to be driver.
Posted by Lord of the Game | 04.12.08, 20:08 GMT
Mr Purnell, I'm a full-time Carer, your government have made my life worse by refusing to pay me for the work I do. Carers Allowance is not enough but yet the Labour party have been seeking to scrap it and with it our (Carers) means of identifying ourselves in the benefit system. The "something for nothing" mantra we keep hearing? Well that's what Labour are getting with Carers. Your party have exploited a group of people that help keep the NHS and Social Services from going into meltdown.
Instead of 'favouring' the rich start looking to financially reward the people that sacrifice their lives- social lives and health to care for disabled people. Pay us for the work we do, £50.55 a week (though many Carers don't even get that) isn't enough. Perhaps the cold will kill off some of the disabled people and their Carers and that will save some money from the benefit system. Role on the next election. ukcarers.org.uk/
Posted by Clive | 04.12.08, 14:32 GMT
I'm disabled with massive problems but I cope, but working yes I'd love to, but all I seem to get offered are part time jobs, like handing out baskets for six weeks, collecting litter, or collecting money for charity. I get told look you need to look at lower type employment to get onto the work ladder. In my area the government has now stated the private sector must employ more disabled people, but the government only employs 2% of the disabled within government offices which is pathetic.
The NHS does not employ the disabled anymore and most companies although illegal have quotas.
The fact is it depends how serious your disability is, if you have mental health then your not going to get offered many jobs.
I have nothing working from the waist down after an accident, no bowel bladder or sexual function my legs do not work much anymore, I use a wheelchair I take morphine.
I've been looking for work for six years now and have not yet had an interview.do I get help NO
Posted by Robert | 03.12.08, 07:35 GMT
WELL AS A FULLITME CARER AND HOLDING POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR MUMS AFFAIRS AT 47 HAD HEART ATTACK AND ILL NOW STILL CARER FOR 15 YEARS PARNELL DOES NOT GIVE A SHEIT ABOUT ME OR OTHER CARERS .
THE DWP FIGHT YOU EVERY WHCIH WAY THEY CAN LIKE ROBOTS
PREPROGRMMMED AND BRAINWASHED TO RATTLE OFF THE COMMON TOPIC NO WE CANNOT DO THAT OR GIVE THAT ETC.
JUST DONT GIVE A SHEIT ABOUT THE 8 MILLION CARERS IN THE UK TODAY.
HE WOULD NOT EVEN SIGN THE DEBACLE OVER THE EXPENCES ISSUES AND DECLARE WHAT HIS EXPENCES ARE HE WANTED IT KEPT HIDDEN SOMETHING TO HIDE MOST DEFINTELY.
I MUST DECLARES EVERYTHING BUT HE DOES NOT HE IS THE SO CALLED DWP MINISTER TOLD FARSCICAL IDIOT WITH AND SPEAKING WITH FORKED TONGUE.
Posted by KENNETH HILL | 03.12.08, 01:26 GMT
New Labour is a rotting corpse. Now we have ZANU-Labour.
Authoritarian, dictatorial, anti-Democratic and turning the UK economy into a basket-case.
Roll on the election, or has Gordon been studying the electoral strategy of Robert Mugabe as well as everything else?
Posted by Boudicca | 02.12.08, 22:06 GMT
New Labour is dead, buried and rotting.
What a pity to still have it in government.
Nothing you say, Mr. Purnell, will change that. The result of the next election will only be won by Labour if people completely ignored a crumbling economy and a rapidly-growing police state.
By the way, Mr. Purnell, do YOU agree with what happened in the Damian Green affair?
Posted by Joe | 02.12.08, 18:36 GMT
New Labour is not dead and buried – it's in rude health
James, I do not like the phrase of ill health parliament of UK. This was once bleeding when Tony Blaire took it very seriously to the task by the WMD and, “You Blaire” by Bush. It was sick then just sort of wobbling with the crutches. UK could have been able to do more then by terminating Tony’s term faster rather then waiting for a full term. By then the parliament had bled and there ooze that is left is what you see. It is not rotten yet if only you leave the partnership now with USA that is officially according to TV in recession. You do not want to go that way. Do you?
There is still time to capture the glory that was before the Columbus and Churchill.
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla
Posted by Firozali A.Mulla | 02.12.08, 16:49 GMT
Looks around for the Herald Angel and the Heavenly Choirs.
Save it for the Party faithful and the brain dead Mr Purnell, far too many people, especially the disable and pensioners are now far worse off under nulabours stewardship. The tories might have been individually corrupt and self serving but nulabour under the Blessed St Anthony of Sedgefield made labour institutionally corrupt.
How long this recession last and how many stand to lose their livelyhoods and homes is anyone guess but they will remember that it was you, nulabour that was in power at the time and gave the city the go ahead to plunder the country and raid the Treasury when it all went sour.
They will look at how you and your bankster friends in the city are doing living on their taxes and look at how little they are getting in return for the years of hard work and high taxes and hopefully say no, never again!
Posted by flipped | 02.12.08, 16:47 GMT
Welfare reforms for getting the unemployed back to work? The Cretins are sensibly preparing the ground for after the next election when they'll have to take any job offers they can get.
Posted by smorty | 02.12.08, 16:19 GMT
I have given some thought to this 'op ed' piece by Purnell while in touch with friends and family in Canada. There the opposition parties are threatening to bring down the Harper conservative government largely due to the hubris of its leadership. There are constitutional precedents being created which will impact on our parliamentary democracy. This is as important for Brown as Cameron and Clegg. All cabinet members should read the comments below and reflect long and hard on Purnell's over preening hubris.
Posted by Paul Lettan | 02.12.08, 14:39 GMT
28 Comments