David Cameron is in north America this week trying launching GREAT Britain, to encourage inward investment to the UK. A laudable aim, particularly when the economy is screaming out for the growth this government’s overzealous austerity programme is preventing.
But the prime minister is being two-faced. Just a month ago, after the riots, he was telling the world about the ‘moral collapse’ of Britain: ‘People showing indifference to right and wrong. People with a twisted moral code. People with a complete absence of self-restraint … Reward without effort. Crime without punishment. Rights without responsibilities.’
We live in a global economy, serviced by global media. The PM’s pronouncements will have travelled fast. Who would invest in a country like this? I wouldn’t. Such intemperate language will have put off not just investors, but tourists and students alike. The damage of his words to the economy will far outweigh the benefits that a £100m ad campaign could ever bring. The business people in New York will see through his shallow PR: he can’t really believe Britain has gone from ‘broken’ to ‘great’ in less than a month.
Contrast our PM’s language with that of the Norwegan PM, speaking about the horrific attacks in Norway: ‘I think what we have seen is that there is going to be one Norway before and one Norway after July 22,’ On another occasion: ‘Together we are an unbreakable chain of care, democracy and safety – that is our protection against violence. We are a small country, but we are a large people.’
There, the PM showed his pride in his nation, and promoted his country’s values to the rest of the world. In the UK, our PM slammed his own nation, insulting the people he represents.
Labour needs to construct a progressive alternative to the PM’s muddled talk of ‘broken Britain’ and ‘GREAT Britain’. Ed’s ‘promise of Britain’ is a good start: unlike GREAT, it focuses on British values, and the kind of society Britain is and aspires to be. But it is not enough.
First, we need to be far more combative about our communities being called ‘broken’. After all, Cameron isn’t talking about Whitney-on-Wye or affluent shire counties; he’s talking about the communities that Labour represents. These are the very communities that the Tories have failed in the past and continue to fail now. This is unacceptable for any politician, let alone the prime minister.
Second, we need to get over our squeamishness and tap into the patriotism and optimism of the British public: we must visibly back Britain, celebrate its successes and be positive about our future.
Last, while the Tories scaremonger and run expensive PR campaigns, Labour activists should be demonstrating that we are building Britain. We should be rolling up our sleeves and working locally to change our communities for the better, delivering the changes that people care about. We should be determined to show the world that the true face of Britain is not shown by the rioters, but by those who came together to clear up afterwards.
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Josie Cluer is a former special adviser
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