“In June 1997, new Labour blew a fresh breeze through the stale morning-after remnants of Thatcherism. In five years we’ve repaired Britain and healed many of its wounds. In education, in health, yes, even in transport the lean years are over, and we’ve gone some way to making personal greed unfashionable. But it’s now time to decide where we’re going with our new Britain; it can’t just be a better version of last century’s socialism. Labour has new challenges to confront which were never ontemplated by the post-war party: globalisation, forging a new national identity, the careless raiding of the planet’s natural resources, the power of instant communication and the march of technology which will soon allow us to live for a century and more.
Labour in government is the best that Britain can get.
But it has to be tomorrow’s Labour, not yesterday’s tarted up.”
Trevor Phillips, deputy chair, Greater London
assembly
“In 1997, 38 percent of retired voters supported Labour, compared to just 29 percent who voted Conservative. Clearly, pensioners wanted a government that would do things differently. And, at the edges of policy, on eyesight tests, winter fuel payments and half-price bus travel, advances have been welcome.
But on two key issues, pensioners still feel their concerns are not being addressed. In health, older people face the rising cost of residential care, a lack of support services at home and age discrimination in healthcare.
And on income, the value of the state pension continues to fall because of its link to prices rather than earnings. Increasing numbers of older people are forced into the unpopular arms of means-testing.
Address these issues, and Labour will be guaranteed of retired voters turning out for them again at the next election.”
Rodney Bickerstaffe, president, National Pensioners Convention
“Things have got a
lot better in terms of extra investment in core public services. Research shows that many people have been lifted out of poverty as a result of redirecting help to those most in need. However, it will take time for all the changes
to have an impact and it’s important to keep reminding ourselves that Rome wasn’t built
in a day!”
Beth Egan, deputy director, Social Market Foundation
“So, do we now live in a ‘new Britain’? Labour stood for change in 1997 and that change has occurred. There are national and regional policies that illustrate this. But I have seen the change on a local level, as a consultant in regeneration. Unemployment has been markedly reduced, educational attainment has increased and Labour has injected a substantial amount of hard cash in the most socially excluded parts of the country, through the New
Deal for Communities and other area-based initiatives. When you walk around deprived parts of this country, change is clearly taking place.
But inequality still permeates the fabric of our society. The cycle of deprivation continues. In order to make a real and long-lasting impact upon social exclusion, the government needs to continue to prioritise this area of work. It might not be glamorous and it might not bring in the votes, but it is the clearest demonstration of our core beliefs.”
Dawn Campbell, Poplar and Canning Town CLP
“Labour has transformed the UK commitment to improve the life opportunities of the poor of the world. We have increased the aid budget by 45 percent, untied aid and switched the focus firmly on to investing in competent, modern states in developing countries so that economic growth and better public services enable the poor of the world to improve their lives. We have led the way in securing debt relief, a fairer international trading system and environmental policies that work in favour of poor people. We have also worked to convince our public that by tackling global poverty, the government is also securing UK interests. In a globalising world, our own security and prosperity increasingly depends on securing social justice for the poorest on the planet.”
Rt Hon Clare Short MP, Secretary of State for International Development
“I joined the Labour Party twenty years ago. Margaret Thatcher was in her prime; unemployment had returned to the levels of the 1930s; child poverty was spiralling; and there was ‘no such thing as society’.
Of course things have got better since 1997. The political terms of trade have shifted to our ground; unemployment is at its lowest for three decades; child poverty is being tackled both at home and abroad; strengthening communities is at the heart of government policy.
We haven’t got everything right but we have laid the foundations for the new century to be a truly progressive one. Nobody should underestimate the significance of that.”
Stephen Twigg MP, Parliamentary Secretary,
Privy Council Office
“Since 1 May 1997 our fortunes as a country, a nation has flourished. But delivering social justice doesn’t begin and end at home; this Labour government has taken international development seriously with a sustained commitment to debt relief to countries and people that need assistance to rebuild their societies shattered by decades of western indifference. Don’t forget this government has banned the sale of landmines and taken
it’s international responsibilities seriously. In Sierra Leone, the country of my origins, Britain’s assistance was vital in restoring the democratically elected government and stability to a people that are still suffering the key consequence of war – poverty. This is an internationalist, outward-looking perspective I’d like to see the Labour government expand and commit to in its next five years.”
Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, assistant regional officer, AMICUS-MSF
“This Labour government is better than most.
It could still be the best. We have only achieved five years in government twice – both times we were soon to crash out of power. This time it’s different because Blair’s grasp of politics and Brown’s of economics provides the opportunity to shift Britain decisively back to the left. But to realise the potential we have to be brave. First, we must make equality our priority. Second, we must drop command and control, learn to let go and trust that people doing things for themselves is better than the centre doing it for them.”
Neal Lawson, managing editor, Renewal
“As we approach the fifth anniversary of Labour coming to power we have much to celebrate: the Working Families’ Tax Credit, national minimum wage and lifelong learning amongst others. The challenge for Labour Party members now is going out into our communities to promote our policies and engage people in Labour’s vision for a better society for all.”
Vicky Foxcroft, national chair, Labour Students
“In 1997 I knew I did not want to be a teacher. Teachers were overworked and undervalued. Yet five years on,
I am in my first year of teaching history in a comprehensive in East London. If Labour had not won in 1997 promising ‘education, education, education’, I would not have joined the profession. Training salaries, the General Teaching Council, threshold payments and massive investment in schools have proved schools and teachers matter. Teaching is still hard work and there is still so much reform needed but, for me, Labour has proved, as far as education is concerned, things have definitely got better.”
Mari Williams, Holborn and St Pancras CLP
“A lot has been said since 1997 about Labour’s obsession with slick branding, but
I believe we have been doing exactly what we said ‘on the tin’. A year into our second term, the economy is prosperous and we have shown strength in working for those who became disadvantaged and excluded during eighteen Tory years. The minimum wage, the Working Families’ Tax Credit, the New Deal and other measures have helped millions of people to help themselves. Labour is the party of economic competence and social justice. Now it must prove itself as the party of public services.”
Siobhain McDonagh MP, Mitcham and Morden
“The government’s commitment to widen participation
in higher education is to be welcomed. However, the current student financial support arrangements are failing those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We must see a radical policy review that turns Labour’s aspiration for an education system accessible to all into a reality. The real challenge is to create a framework that enables access for learners from poor and not just privileged backgrounds; persuading all young people that higher education is a realistic option and providing them with the matrix of support that enables success.”
Claire Kober, vice president welfare, NUS (personal capacity)