Purnell’s ‘empowerment’ pledge falls flat

Jessica Asato

I think you'll find that James Purnell was one of the few Labour MPs to support the Lib Dem amendment to the recent Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to introduce STV for elections. So I think you're wrong to say he doesn't favour a specific voting system.

radgie gadgie

When someone like Purnell claims to support individual choice and local action you can be sure of one thing. He believes that it is safe to do so having dumbed down state education so much and for long enough time to have enough of the population unable to exercise real choices. In places where a groundswell of support requests something contrary to Labour and Left orthodoxies, their allies in the institutions will emasculate any real change. So...its a win/win for Jamesey boy - looks radical and forward thinking while continuing to entrench the Gramscian mindset that runs education in this country.

Vulture

What is the point of this post? Indeed, what is the point of James Purnell?

IT's far too late for Liebour to start talking about 'empowering' people - since they have spent the past 12 years disempowering them and handing that power to unelected bodies - councils, Police, the EU - yopu name it.

I know the revolting Purnell used to be the Speccie's Liebour pet - but his absence from these pages in recent months gave us to hope that you'd got the message that we don't like the little sideburned creep.

As for him being 'some way behind Conservative proposals for co-operatives' I don't think he was born when Tony Benn first mooted this piece of unworkable Daveist nonsense back in the 1970s.

I have long predicted that uber-opportunist Purnell will be the first NuLiebourist to defect to Dave - it will happen after the election if Dave manages to struggle home. Count on it. He's Shaun Woodward and Quentin Davies without the money.

Trebor64

Oh dear.
I put money on Purnell for next Labour leader!

Naomi Muse

Pure Golgafrincham - chosing the colour of the wheel rather than the function.

Why is Purnell being reported at all? How would he address the fiscal deficit so that the international fiscal agencies think the UK is in control and means business?

Irene

Sorry, but Purnell is now a complete irrelevence.

Hawkeye

The problem is that those at the bottom have little or no interest beyond the next giro cheque which is where The Comrades go wrong. Their ideal socialist utopia involves an educated, enlightened electorate who will seriously consider all points of an issue and place the public good ahead of self interest.

In short, it is a pipe dream. The enlightened electorate envisaged will never exist and a proportion of people will always act in their own self interest.

To an extent, Gove's ideas are vulnerable to the same problems, but if Gove can find some point that presses the "self interest" button of most voters then he will succeed, but the sad truth is that there will always be a large segment of the population who simply don't give a darn.

Frank P

Just so that you know who Purnell had standing by to make the first comment on this thread:

http://www.labourlist.org/jessica_asato

It's uncanny that before I even saw her picture, I knew exactly what she looked like. Have they got a clone factory for socialist wimmin somewhere in Bloomsbury?

Sir Graphus

Another Labour chappy stands up to make his pitch for the next election; and once again it amounts to "we're going completely reverse our policies of the last 13 years".

Sir Graphus

"Oversubscribed schools could then expand, or new providers start up. Conversely, undersubscribed schools could be closed or taken over."

Doesn't work. Sorry. Most heads and all teachers would much rather teach fewer pupils better, than cope with more pupils. Nearly all schools will have severe space limitations.

Rhoda Klapp

Dear Mr Purnell, when exactly did you work out that the Attlee government was in fact a worse disaster for the UK than the war?

Having ditched your previous ideas, how about some respect for the folks who had your current ideas decades ago?

Or are you just an attention-seeking prat?
No need to answer, it was rhetorical.

Ian Wiseman

Frank P: in fairness to Jessica Asato her comment is informative, to the point and posted under her own name. What do you look like by the way?

2trueblue

Too late mate. Your government Mr P have spent years lowering standards in our educational system and the BBC etc have fed us rubbish, how do you intend to make these choices available to us?

I know, multiple choice. Who would have thought of it?

David Blackburn

Jessica Asato,

You're right, I've just looked it up. Thank you. However, that makes his vagueness in the Times article even more baffling.

Frank P

Ian Wiseman

"What do you look like by the way?"

Just as you would expect a 75 year-old, clapped out carcass to look like after listening to the last thirteen years of political drivel and porkies from our incumbent Marxist mob, together with the utterances of Fabian society harpies attempting to impose their Utopian dreams on society at large.

You are obviously a newcomer to this blog, or you too would be somewhat more acerbic about the incessant promotion of the twerpista Purnell (sorry V.) by his drooling fellow traveller hacks at OQS (assuming your surname is also a description of your intellect).

And although real names are not a prerequisite of commenting on this blog, my own full moniker is known to those who matter hereabouts. Moreover I didn't ask Ms Asato or you to introduce yourselves, you volunteered.

And I still think that Purnell should have the balls to correct Blackburn on this thread, rather than using a prissy proxy; I'm sure he will anyway, when they meet up the pub later.

Rhoda Klapp

Please don't make Frank post a picture of himself.

Marcher Baron

Suddenly, after the Labour government has spent 13 years of telling us what we should do, think, how we should behave, etc, a Labour MP states he believes we should be able to think for ourselves and have a choice? Must be an election coming up.

Dorothy Wilson

"Aside from that it’s very difficult to decipher what Purnell stands for"

Purnell stands for Purnell. Full stop!

Dirty Euro

Purnell is right wing extremist. We ghave one of the most unequal countries in Europe, this has got our economy knowhere, and he wants to make it even worse for ideological arrogance.
I will never back labour with these sorts of traitors.

Marcus Cotswell

I'm sure that when I read the times piece earlier in the day it had Jim Murphy's name on it too - and on PoliticsHome it's still flagged up as being by 'Purnell and Murphy'. Has Murphy been forced by No 10 to have his name taken off it? I think we should be told ...

Frank P

Rhoda Klapp

"Please don't make Frank post a picture of himself."

Rhoda, Being frank in both name and nature, I paint a picture of myself almost daily on this blog and, as you well know, it ain't pretty! So your fears are groundless.

David Blackburn

Marcus Cotswell,

Murphy's name was added by mistake, according to the Times.

Marcus Cotswell

David: fair enough - how disappointing!

David Ossitt

Vulture writes;

“I have long predicted that uber-opportunist Purnell will be the first NuLiebourist to defect to Dave - it will happen after the election if Dave manages to struggle home. Count on it. He's Shaun Woodward and Quentin Davies without the money.”

I agree but wouldn’t it be lovely; if, when he asks, Dave tells him to sod off?

David Ossitt

Jessica Asato

“I think you'll find that James Purnell was one of the few Labour MPs to support the Lib Dem amendment to the recent Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill to introduce STV for elections. So I think you're wrong to say he doesn't favour a specific voting system.”

Jessica; you imply by your post above, that you are in favour of STV.

You; like the rest of the loony left, have been perfectly happy with first past the post system whilst you were winning, but now that you are probably going to lose, you want to switch to a system that will give the win to the party that comes second past the post.