1. Know the detail. The world of foreign policy tends to be dominated by men, bores and pomposity (I’ve been guilty on all three counts). So your appointment is refreshing as it was perhaps unexpected to you. Every pundit and scribbler will be waiting for your first mistake – ‘What does Yvette Cooper know about foreign policy?’ as the rightwing commentator Nile Gardiner sneered. Getting to grips with the diplomatic subtleties of everywhere from Tajikistan to Transnistria will take time, and you should be prepared for those desperate to expose your first ‘gaffe’. But there is also an opportunity here – for instance, the government makes grand statements about bringing our troops back from Afghanistan, but hasn’t got a clear and detailed strategy for how to achieve that through a political process.
2. Pick your issues. Although the world is now your oyster, you will need to be selective about what to press the government on to have an impact. I would suggest three:
First, one way of fleshing out Ed Miliband’s values-based foreign policy would be a greater focus on human rights, and intervening to prevent genocide through the ‘Responsibility to Protect’. The Conservatives have given lip service to these issues, but also said that ‘as a nation we will have to accustom ourselves to there being more situations which we dislike but cannot directly change’. This kind of Conservative appeasement could prove a useful dividing line both at home and abroad.
Second, as an island, Britain has plenty of wind, plenty of waves, and plenty of tide. Exploiting our renewable energy sources is something the Tories and Lib Dems talk a good game about but haven’t committed much in terms of policy initiatives or capital. Renewables have created 330,000 new jobs in Germany anda recent study demonstrated how Europe could shift to 100 per cent renewables by 2050 – that seems a long way off, but needs action today. It will require leadership from Britain and our European partners to develop transmission capacity across the continent to benefit from the solar potential in the south and the wind energy in the north. Enabling investment in new technologies like carbon capture would be good for the economy as well the environment.
Third, the exploitation of new and online technologies by criminals and terrorists could prove a major threat to our security. The ability of extremists to recruit, organise and fundraise online is well documented, but less well understood is the potential consequences of an attack launched in cyberspace itself, which might have the potential to damage critical infrastructure such as power supplies. Cyber attacks were rated as a Tier 1 threat (alongside major terror incidents) in the recent security review. All this may be dismissed by some as science fiction until an attack happens, but the UK would be wise to centralise cybersecurity policy which is currently divided between the Cabinet Office and GCHQ.
3. Be the statesman. Nye Bevan, Denis Healey, Jim Callaghan and Robin Cook are your political forebears, so you have some pretty big shoes to fill. While you will campaign poetically on some of the issues above, a calm, prosaical approach will be needed at the inevitable moments of national and international crisis. Little political advantage can be gained in opposition on foreign policy, though lots can be lost. Knowing when to support the ‘British’ government rather than ‘ConDem’ them will win you respect and support in the long term.
4. Make friends. Labour needs allies – there are only a handful of socialist governments left in Europe and you have the opportunity to provide leadership in terms of campaign advice and policy direction to our fraternal parties overseas. We can also learn some lessons from the Democrats, the Australian Labor party and others on how to win, and from our European allies on how to hold coalitions to account. Labour also has a natural ally in Brussels – in the form of Baroness Ashton, who is proving many of her detractors wrong with her understated, no-nonsense approach to European diplomacy.
5. Try to move on. The political and public agenda has moved on from Iraq, and so will the media in time. The global issues that confront us – from the proliferation of nuclear weapons to conflicts over limited resources will require vision and innovation. With some notable exceptions, there is a dearth of thinkers on the British left talking about global issues as we focus almost exclusively on the deficit. We have a job in the party to address that gap and put some flesh on the bones of ‘a foreign policy built on our values’.
Yours fraternally
Alex