| Save the Labour Party |
| Open letter to Gordon Brown MP Weston CLP Dear Prime Minister. At the last GC meeting of Weston-super-Mare CLP on the 3rd April 2008 there was a general consensus amongst the attendees regarding the poor performance of the Labour Party in government and unfortunately much of this criticism centered on you. As a result of our debate I have been asked to write to you in my capacity as Secretary of Weston CLP to air our concerns in the hope that you will take them onboard in a spirit of comradeship and act accordingly. The members feel that there appears to be a lack of direction within the government and that our Party is becoming prone to attacks from all sides of the media on matters that could and should have been avoided. Firstly, I refer to the appalling lack of foresight when it was decided to abolish the 10p rate of income tax which according to reliable sources will cause most harm to 5.3 million of the lowest paid – the very people that our Party should be protecting. No amount of assurances that millions will benefit can or should hide the fact that 5.3 million poorer people will be disadvantaged. This situation is further exacerbated by ministers publicly reneging on an agreement with backbenchers to re-assess the impact of this decision on the poorest in our society. The case for your tax policy is further damaged by the apparent stubbornness on your part to ignore the entreaties of the PLP at last weeks meeting; a stubbornness which will only serve to damage your and the Party’s reputation rather than portray you as a strong leader. This error of judgment coincides with the calamitous decision to support the closure of Post Offices across the country – which emulates all that was worse about ‘Thatcherism’ – and will again affect those people whose well-being has always been the Labour Party’s crusade and if fully implemented will further impact on the electoral chances of many of our sitting M.Ps and make the task of the activists in the Party more onerous than it is at present. We do understand that you have the might of the rightwing press and media to contend with but feel that your performances in public are lacking in conviction and give rise to a feeling that you are out-of-touch with the pressing issues of the day and that your responses to questions seem to consist of political platitudes and vague references to topics which are of little or no interest to the man or woman in the street. David Cameron is riding high in the polls and although we are now in a political cycle which favours the opposition you seem to be allowing him the benefits of his persuasive tones rather than exposing his non-policies for what they are. We feel that no amount of image makeovers at the behest of your spin doctors will change perceptions. Only the adoption of a less patronising approach to valid concerns will alter the views and opinions of those whose support is vital now and in the future. For the activists on the ground the job of convincing a cynical electorate of the benefits of voting Labour is becoming increasingly difficult. We believe this has come about for the following reasons:- - Lack-lustre performance from the Prime Minister and Cabinet - Apparent disunity between the leadership and the PLP - Unpopular policies which are always covered by a submission from ministers that government has to take the ‘difficult decisions’. This is irrespective of the possibility that the policy may be wrong or indeed has little or no support in the country! - The continuing rumours of arguments and splits between the advisers in No.10 - The sidelining of the Labour membership by the leadership whose apparent preferences for the richest in our society is gnawing – like a cancer – at the hearts of the once committed activists who have and are leaving the Party in droves; and this at a time when funding for the Party is so important if we are to clear the £24m of debt run-up over the years. - Continuing references to the ‘reform’ of public services when the perception on the ground is that the policies would sit more comfortably with a Conservative administration and in any event are widely accepted as a surreptitious cover for the eventual privatisation of these services. We feel that time is running out for the Labour Party and the likelihood of the Tories becoming the next government improves by the day. We consider it is now time for the Labour Party to return to it roots – this does not mean adopting ‘rabid’ left-wing policies - and once again become the defenders of the least fortunate in our society rather than tinkering at the edges for fear of upsetting the perceived silent majority or the right-wing press and media. By becoming ‘best when we are bold’ there is still time to reinvigorate the Party and more importantly the activists on the ground. This will increase our chances of regaining the trust of ex-members and voters and thus increase our campaigning base and electoral chances which are essential if we are to have any chance of becoming the next government. Secretary: Tony Probert Published on Labour Membersnet on 16 April 2008 |