Politics is changing. A government led by Gordon Brown needs to change with it, and fast. The environment will be a political battleground at the next election, and Labour is not in good shape for that fight. To win the battle, a Brown premiership must set a new green course, and be dramatically different from the outset.
Nothing else will do. The cross-cutting nature of the environmental agenda makes it imperative that the issue is driven from the very top. Prime minister Brown must make the environment a priority for that crucial first 100 days. So, here are three proposals for the incoming Brown team. First, surprise us. Second, start something really important. Third, bring this agenda home to every one of us.
First, the surprise. Chancellor Brown has too often put business protestations of short-term economic cost before our long-term wellbeing. Prime minister Brown must find an opportunity to demonstrate that his premiership will be different. He could do so by rethinking the starkest example of Labour’s doublethink on climate change: the predict-and-provide approach to aviation. Brown should cancel the new runway proposed at Stansted. It is the runway that no one wants: local people oppose it; the aviation industry is overwhelmingly opposed to it; as of course is the environmental movement. The announcement would be a great opportunity to get out of Downing Street and enjoy some of the countryside that would be saved by this decision.
Second, start something really important. Climate change is the greatest challenge for this generation of politicians. It requires a global solution. But there is only one player on the global stage that could summon the will and resources to make that happen: Europe. Tony Blair’s approach has been sincere, but he has been predictably undone by his focus on securing a dramatic shift from the Bush administration. Brown should make common cause with a new generation of European leaders that could, together, catalyse an effective global response. To demonstrate his seriousness, he should announce that the UK will develop a new and effective strategy to meet its emissions reduction goals, lead a similar initiative in Europe, and commit £1bn a year to new partnerships with China, India and others, if other European countries make similar pledges.
Third, bring this home to every one of us. The environmental agenda is not just about climate change and government initiatives. It spans waste, resources, wildlife and the countryside. It requires action from all sectors of society and from us all as individuals. Brown should appoint a commission of leaders from civil society and progressive business to develop a national strategy for green living. The vision? To make the right choice for the environment the easy choice for the individual. Such an initiative could bring this agenda alive for us all, as householders, workers, consumers and transport users.
Now you may be wondering why Labour should pursue a new green path. There is no room here to set out the case for doing so. But for an intellectual and political case that is hard to beat, interested readers should look no further than David Miliband’s Fabian lecture in December 2006. For the first time, a senior Labour figure has set out why Labour’s priorities and coalition in 2007 must include the environment in a way that New Labour failed to do in 1997.
But will Labour take this path, or will Miliband’s enthusiasm provide green cover for a brown Brown? The prospects for Brown taking the advice offered by his enthusiastic supporter currently look poor. Despite some green shoots over the past two years, Labour’s timidity on the environment has had much to do with the chancellor.
Brown is often said to be a master of strategy. But he loves a gimmick too, as Britain’s pensioners are reminded on budget day. He needs a little bit of both in the first 100 days. It would dent David Cameron’s moral lead on these issues of course. But more importantly, it is the right thing to do. Will prime minister Brown set a bold new green path? I fear the worst. I will be delighted to be proved wrong.