I want our party to show that we have an imagination that is grounded in reality and that as members we can feel as passionate about our policies as we are about getting the Tories out of office as quickly as possible. I want policies based on the Labour values that made me join the party and become an activist in the eighties, which also strike a chord with ordinary people in 2010.
The Tories are the same as they were in the eighties and from local experience I’d say even worse, but they have stolen our language and seized upon a culture change experienced across the country that in government Labour brought about. So many of our achievements are taken for granted. Support for working families with tax credits, guaranteed nursery places for all three year olds (previously only available under Labour councils), children’s centres, surestart. This is just one area where we have exceeded changing the way things were way beyond anything I could ever imagine and we can be proud of our record. However there is a whole generation of voters who have no knowledge of how things were before, who together with those who decided they wanted change, we must win over.
As the cuts bite, and the coalition continues to introduce more policies that were in neither of their manifestos, with sharp opposition we can win over those voters, but we also have to offer an attractive and real alternative. To move forward and see a change in the way people think, the debate around how we achieve a more equal society is one we need to have with the public. This is an enormous and well covered debate and not one for today, but a step in the right direction would be to make sure our party truly reflects the communities we aim to represent. This is much wider than a gender or ethnicity issue, it’s about an equal party where once again we see postman and nurses participating, and where road sweepers, shop assistants and bus drivers join our ranks and can feel truly at home.
We also need to tackle some big policy issues. For me it’s housing, a pivotal issue in our economy where the Thatcherite doctrine of home ownership still thrives. Financial security and wellbeing are often closely linked to housing status and there is no greater divide than that between those with and those without a stake in property which has become the currency which so often dominates our lives. That’s not to say we should dampen aspiration, but we should look at the issue afresh: ensure the definition of affordable housing fits with housing need and bring about a shift in attitude, back to the fundamental purpose of a home being a roof over your head and a certainty in life. This approach is markedly different from current Tory thinking led by the leader of my council, Hammersmith and Fulham. His proposals now being given credence by the coalition threaten to erode security of tenure in the private sector which plays such a critical role in current housing supply and the economy.
He proposes to reduce the social housing sector to almost nothing.
Tory policy on housing is just one area which will create a bigger divide in society and it’s up to us to show that there can be a real alternative.