Most of us who were part of the shining 1997 victory for Labour thought that it would put an end to petty corruption and mark the beginning of a bold new politics where the citizen is in the driving seat. At the beginning – with devolution, reformed electoral systems in parts of the UK and the abolition of most of the inherited seats in the House of Lords – there was a sense that we were beginning to put the voter in charge.
But soon the driving seat became too attractive to government. Instead of devolving power we brought it to the centre to deliver reform in public services. Citizens watched the government get more control, and it was popular for a while, it met a demand to get a grip on intractable issues like antisocial behaviour. But most people really want to be able to get on with their own lives.
Trust, which is the essential lubricant in the British constitution, the trust which allows voters to just turn up at a polling booth and declare their identity, is being extinguished, and people would like it back. The Conservatives recognise this, so David Cameron speaks the language of trust even on those issues, like the NHS, where his party has proved unworthy of it.
Any changes to the constitution need to nurture trust. That means empower people, it means resisting the temptation to reach for the authoritarian fix. I would start with electoral reform, delivering the promised referendum on a proportional system on the day of the general election. I would follow with an elected second chamber, more powers for local government and real devolution from local government to local people.
I am not arguing for blind trust. In my constituency, six Tories have been jailed for fraudulent voting, and I would, in places like Slough where trust in fair elections has been damaged, put all voters on notice, with restrictions on postal voting and tougher identity checks.
I’d begin with women. Women have historically tended to vote Conservative and men Labour. A key part of the 1997 election strategy was to appeal to women. By 2005 Labour had a convincing lead among women. If only women had voted in that election the majority in parliament would have been around 90 rather than 66.
But since then women have been walking away from Labour. Many believe (wrongly) that the Conservatives have selected more women candidates than Labour. Most women feel that we are talking about complicated distant things and are not in touch enough with their lives and the lives of their families.
So we need to get in touch. Labour did well in local elections where local activists talked to voters face to face. That is the best way to build trust, because in that moment of communication the voter gets to be in charge, gets to tell you where they feel let down. And they are less likely to use their vote to tell you they are disappointed.
Before 1997, one of the ways we won women over was by making sure that our language and promises were direct and simple and connected to their lives. As well as language which does that, we need to show how Labour politics will make things better for them and their families.
We should use the fact that we are in control more intelligently, creating opportunities where, by getting involved, people can experience their own capacity to change things.