A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
I was interviewed by BBC1's The Politics Show yesterday at the Progress conference - basically about whether Labour should move to the left. I think you can guess what I said.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 5:23 pm
Labour MP for North Durham since 2024. Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Dad. Unite and GMB union member. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
8 Comments:
You recommended that wage labour and production for profit, that unsustainable capitalist pillage of our earths resources and people should stop, and that only international socialism could provide these solutions? Your pride in supporting the status quo is quite unpleasant. Of course we could just keep on selling eurofighters to Saudi Arabia, squandering the potential of millions at home and abroard either in poverty or dead end jobs or unemployment, we could keep privatising whatever is left of the national infrastrucute, we could keep people pointlessly tied to useless money based jobs revolving around fictitous capital rather than doing something useful, we could keep on tutting about the new 6th great extinction taking place and the global warming instead of planning our economy as a species to avoid it, we could keep squandering billions on arms, we could keep millions of pensioners and children in poverty while redundant desk jockeys net millions for shuffling pieces of paper around with non existant value but a price of billions etc etc etc. Still, glad you can get a joke out of it because it makes me think that something is wrong with the world!
8:39 pm, November 04, 2007
I saw it first time round, so there :)
I'm not sure marginals appreciate being called 'gritty', though...
Apparently Stella won, by the way, jolly good.
8:57 pm, November 04, 2007
Yes I wondered about you calling those marginals 'gritty'. I thought that description was applied to Clydeside seats hereabouts :)
You looked quite relaxed and macho... not at all like one of those Blairites (you never really were one were you?)
On a media point, I thought it was another one of those ones where the journo keeps putting in weird appearances like sitting in amongst the audience nooding attentively at what is being said... I mean. we all know that's a phony set-up now don't we?
Oh, since you've been on TV, when I'm next in London can I have your autograph? - of course, it's just for ma wee boy you know.
9:07 pm, November 04, 2007
I don't necessarily think its a question of 'moving to the left'. I've always seen myself to be on the right of the party, but on the progressive/liberal right rather than the labourist right.
Where I differ from you is my belief that there is a section of the 'working class' vote which will now be Tory in all but a bad year - and they may well be disproportionately found in places like Harlow and Castle Point. I think it is utterly logical that they should vote tory, becauyse the tories best reflect their interests.
But I think Labour will gain a greater proportion of the professional middle classes than before - unless it aims to drive them to the LD's in the misplaced tactic of trying to win back Romford! We would be better advised to focus on regaining Cambridge or Bristol West, for the voters who deserted us last time for other parties are both better distributed and more likely to vote.
And, frankly, they have labour/social democratic values. Unlike Essex Man, who should be voting Tory!
12:03 am, November 05, 2007
Look like you ate all the pies Luke.
3:19 pm, November 05, 2007
Not just pies... I must start running again.
4:10 pm, November 05, 2007
I agree with Merseymike about campaign prioties - but then I am biased as the Labour Candidate for Bristol West.
There are a dozen lib dem/labour marginals that could be picked up with a bit a bit a targeted effort. I think the party realises this but we need to have a robust approach on issues such as international affairs and the environment/climate change to be credible for the swing vote from last time to come back.
Electoral calculus is still looking good for these seats!!!!
9:46 pm, November 06, 2007
They say the camera adds a few pounds. Me and the missus watched you on PS and when they mentioned your name we were expecting the athletic adonis that you posted on your blog, imagine our dissapointment.
On the other point I think that bloke from the Fabians got it right, we have to reassess our current stratergy otherwise we will lose our current (true labour) vote.
1:03 pm, November 07, 2007
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