Is new labour working?

This is the title of a new Fabian pamphlet, well worth a read. 7 cabinet ministers give a progress report, and these are commented on, somewhat blandly, by 7 independent experts.

They are concerned with whether they are making progress with their programme and pledges. I have to look at it a little more broadly, namely whether they are fulfilling the traditional aims of moderate democratic socialism, and the needs of the country today.

However you look at it we are supposed to be for the many not the few. This surely means that millionaires do not come first .This should surely mean that access , power and influence cannot be bought.(Currently it looks as if only a fully state funded democracy can secure this,with individuals and corporations allowed only to pay modest and public membership fees.)

More broadly, we cannot live happily together unless there is a somewhat more equal society. There is no meeting of minds between those for whom £100 is really neither here nor there, and those for whom 50p at the end of the week is everything. The children in the school classroom will either be in unbelievable squalor or unimaginable luxury. Standard charges or fixed penalties are a mere nothing or a major burden. (on £100 a week nearly 2 per cent of your income goes on a TV licence, for the indispensable BBC.)

Capitalism undeniably makes the rich richer, the poor poorer. For example, a major investor in a building society gets a better rate of interest; the poor are a bad risk and pay more for their electricity through meters.

If we believe in society, as we say we do, we have to aim for a somewhat greater equality, and to have a more progressive taxation system. New labour, not realising this, is not thinking straight. It is a silly myth that the very rich will not bestir themselves to create wealth unless they pay minimal taxes. We had higher growth and a more equal society in the 50s and 60s.We have to try for a climate where civic responsibility starts when individuals and corporations do not think it clever to avoid paying tax.(Charging the poor with irresponsibility ,in the meantime, will always strike a sour note).

There is a further point that may be more widely acceptable. Much of the emphasis in the Fabian pamphlet, which I hope you will read for yourself, is about providing education and skills for a modern competitive 21st century, and helping the poor out of poverty by getting them back into work. Broadly speaking this is of course a good strategy, and it seems to be off to a good start..

It is however incomplete. The trouble is that it is philistine. We do not live to work, we work to live. In other words, life is not about work, it is about quality of life whether in work or out.

Once this is realised , two advantages follow:-

. Firstly, quality of work matters. We have to aim for work that makes full use of our creative endeavours, is felt to be useful and is in every sense well rewarded. This should be for its own sake, and only incidentally because it is more efficient(which it is). Union negotiation and where necessary government regulation have always played a part here, and New labour needs to build on it and not undermine it.(that we should try to get away with our workers having with lower conditions than our EU counterparts, or compete with third world conditions is unnecessary, and unkind to our fellow citizens and electors). We in the traditional Labour movement have always aimed for better conditions and will certainly continue to do so.. ...

Secondly, we remember to cherish our leisure time and value and help those not in paid work. Not to do so is unkind to OAPS, and those who cannot work, or chose or were forced to take early retirement.

I believe we in Britain are anxious for something to celebrate, something genuine to remind us that we are special. That is most likely in my view to come from our public facilities or leisure activities (though realists amongst us can take comfort in remembering that someone is making money out of providing them). We are good at all arts, at chess and many sports. Labour, new or old, should surely be able to see that we need to find the time effort and money to enjoy them. We need to be proud of our modern multi- national culture, as the crowning achievement of our island roots, refreshed and improved by over 1000 years of newcomers. Our health services, schools, and all public services, are what we share together. As a matter of principle, INDEED OF COMMUNAL SELF-RESPECT, they must be fully funded, and those who work in them cherished. On that understanding any necessary reforms could doubtless be agreed.

In many ways New labour is working too hard. It needs to find the time to think a bit more, to realise, cherish and celebrate what life is all about. That surely is the way to put substance into the spin, and so to gain, not nominal support with deep underlying cynicism, but full-hearted support, the sort that translates to a high turnout at the polling booth....

John Champneys, 22/7/99

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