Inbox

One of the problems with social media is that it tends to reinforce rather than to challenge our views. On Twitter I follow people who I broadly agree with or who are at least politically interested and literate. I have admired the wit of many of the ‘redesigned’ United Kingdom Independence party posters doing the rounds. However, I have also felt uneasy about the suggestions that they are racist and the implication that, therefore, so are likely Ukip voters. As I tweeted myself, I am not convinced that condemning the many voters thinking of voting Ukip as stupid racists is a good electoral strategy. There are undoubtedly some racist Ukip candidates as we have also seen demonstrated via their Twitter
accounts in recent days. Beating them requires more than simply identifying and condemning their views.

Posted by Jacqui Smith on 28 April 2014

Ed Miliband’s speech setting out the emerging conclusions from Andrew Adonis’ review of the jobs and growth agenda is another welcome indication that the Labour party recognises that uniform, centralised, and input-driven national programmes run from Whitehall will neither create the growth we need nor ensure maximum benefit from that growth for our citizens. This is particularly so in this age of austerity, in an era where an incoming Labour government will be very much financially constrained in a way it was not for most of its last term in power. Every public pound has to work that much harder, and the best way of doing that is to ensure that the totality of public expenditure works as far as possible in an integrated way with public services organised around people, families and the places they live rather than determined through Whitehall silos.

Posted by Richard Leese on 8 April 2014

The Labour party talks of devolution and it is good to hear that Miliband believes in the need for ‘the biggest economic devolution of power to England’s great towns and cities in a hundred years’. But his speech only means that the Labour party has taken steps in the right direction and joined the debate – a debate dominated by Michael Heseltine. His report, No Stone Unturned, makes a coherent and powerful argument for more devolution, spending and powers to local government worth £49bn. In contrast, Miliband talks about £4bn a year, and the government has promised £2bn a year. We are still a long way from any kind of signal that cities will be given the freedoms necessary to allow us to be masters of our own destinies. We are crying out for flexibility and finance, not permission to run government projects in the same way Whitehall would.

Brexit hazards

The Institute of Economic Affairs’ Brexit prize-winning Blueprint for Britain: Openness not Isolation is an illustration of the hazardous assumptions underlying the arguments of those who claim Britain could do better outside the European Union. Its first such assumption is that leaving the EU would make it easier to boost our trade with the rest of the world. In fact, the opposite is true. It is the combined negotiating strength of the EU that has prised open markets to give our exporters access to many countries and more are currently being negotiated. And talks with the United States for a transatlantic trade area have just started. It is unlikely that Britain by itself could get better deals, except, maybe, with the blueprint’s ‘top priority’ for a free trade agreement – Russia.

Posted by Richard Corbett on 15 April 2014

The average person with a mortgage – a swing voter? – is experiencing low borrowing rates and lower increases in food and fuel bills. That suggests that, with both earnings growth and the increases in the personal allowance, he or she will be feeling a bit better about the future and will have more income available for spending on discretionary items as opposed to essentials such as utility bills.

With a growing economy, Labour could face a greater campaign challenge next year: a Tory pledge to ease the cost of living with a tax cut during the next parliament. What is certain is that it would be very ‘courageous’ indeed, to put it mildly, if Labour’s response was to increase taxes on income, as was floated over the weekend. To go into the general election, on the back of a cost of living campaign, with a pledge to hike national insurance to pay for increased NHS spending risks playing into the renewed myth that Labour’s default inclination is to boost taxes and spending.

Posted by Stephen Beer on 24 April 2014

David Cameron deserves praise for sticking with equal marriage but ultimately he could not bring his party with him – it was Labour votes he had to rely on to get legislation through. It is this same reluctance that means the government is now dragging its feet on issues such as allowing civil partners to convert to marriage and preventing couples from having to dissolve their marriage in order for one spouse to gain gender recognition. Nor can we expect a party with one foot out the door of Europe to provide the international leadership needed to challenge those countries like Russia and Uganda who deny the human rights of LGBT people.

A Labour government will appoint a new global envoy on LGBT rights to advocate on the world stage. We will make sex and relationships education which teaches about same-sex relationships and respect compulsory in all schools. We will commission a review of the Gender Recognition Act to bring it up to date and address the spousal veto issue for England and Wales. Because, as the party of equality, it will take a Labour government to drive progress forward for the next generation.

Posted by Glorio De Piero MP on 7 April 2014