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The 'two' UK Labour parties

  • 04-05-2010 10:50PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,630 ✭✭✭


    Ever since Tony Blair's ascendency to the Labour leadership in 1994 (Prime Minister by 1997), the widening of the gap between a 'new' Labour and an 'old' Labour mindset has come to scrutiny.

    Voters, who were once Tory friendly, were priortised over the loyal bloc of footsoldiers in the traditional working-class bases. The new generation of Labour MP became too removed with the traditional voter, esp. on issues like immigration, crime, economy, Europe, etc.

    Blair himself, was nothing like in background or career, one who could truly relate with the party's purpose, having gone through the private boarding school/ Oxbridge/city barrister route. Since his period in office, the party machine has become an ego driven, entirely ruthless, characterless operation. Very much reflected through the previous PM himself.

    Occassional voices in the wilderness came in Clare Short, Chris Mullin, Robin Cook (RIP), but maybe they too should have taken the high road away from the party that became increasingly removed from the one they joined in the first place. Brown, for all his reported clashes with Blair, has swallowed and endorsed the NewLabour dogma just as much as anyone else.

    Yet, there is a sense of the end of a particular era with this 2010 campaign, culminating in the 'gaffe' up in Rochdale, where a party hierarchy for too long was far removed and maybe in contempt of the concerns and values of people like Ms. Duffy.

    Question to other posters, could the formation of a party in the mould of Old Labour, and in line with Hardie's beliefs, form a new threat to the barely different 'big three' British voters have to choose from today, while marginalising the potential growth of BNP in the process? Could it maybe 'save' British politics?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,737 ✭✭✭BroomBurner


    I actually think Brown epitomises old Labour. He does have more of a sense of hard-working about him that Blair never really had. Maybe Blair made it all look a bit too easy. I don't think Brown should have ever been the PM though, that should have been opened to a labour election to decide. He just doesn't suit the role. He has the persona of someone serious about his job, which worked very well when he was chancellor.

    One of the best things that might come of this election will be the evolution of the Labour party. Not back to the old ways entirely, but incorporating the best of the old and the new. From reading interviews with David Milliband, he could be the person to do it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 709 ✭✭✭Exile 1798


    Well it's already happened, twice or arguably three times.

    The Socialist Labour Party and the Democratic Labour Party both broke off from the Labour Party and like to style themselves as being the same as Old Labour. Then there's Respect which pretty much exists as a vehicle to attack New Labour.

    None of these parties gained much traction. And I can't see how they are really of the Old Labour tradition as they're not affiliated with Unions. It's true that the Union influence over the Labour Party has lessened considerably of late, but that strikes me as an entirely natural and appropriate thing when the Party is in government for a long time. They have to balance the interests of the whole country, not just do the bidding of the Union Movement.

    For any new party to really claim the mantle of Old Labour they would have to be formed by a bottom up Union revolt, not just by a few pissed off left wing Labour Party activists.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39,019 ✭✭✭✭Permabear


    This post has been deleted.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,485 ✭✭✭Denerick


    Precisely as DonegalFella says. New Labour likes to have occasional Old Labourite around just to remind them of their history and radical roots (And to look good in certain working class areas) but the reality is that they ceased being a working class, socialist party since Thatcher's Tories were in power and Michael Foot was leading a quixotic opposition.


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