Clarke lashes out (again)
Matthew d'Ancona 4:24pm
Charles Clarke, as predicted earlier, has been distributing his article in the new Progress magazine. It is strong stuff:
"First, we have to change the conduct of our politics. We should discard the techniques of ‘triangulation’, and ‘dividing lines’ with the Conservatives, which lead to the not entirely unjustified charge that we simply follow proposals from the Conservatives or the right-wing media, to minimise differences and remove lines of attack against us. We should finish with ‘dog whistle’ language, such as ‘British jobs for British workers’, which flatter some of the most chauvinistic and backward-looking parts of British society. We should suspend the black arts of divisive inner-party briefing and bullying which penalise and inhibit debate and discussion about the future."
Ouch. Various proposals follow, varying from the specific (supporting the Hollis plan for women’s pensions) to vague bromides (“strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system”). But there is real anger here, and a clear ultimatum to Brown.
"We must robustly reject those who say that defeat in 2010 is inevitable. Such people – often relatively comfortable themselves – have no right to condemn whole communities to a decade or more of Conservatism. However their predictions could come true if Labour does not clearly resolve its direction and approach well before this year’s party conferences. Everyone in the Labour party and outside will be constantly alert to progress we are making in this respect."
The Labour conference, since you ask, opens on September 20 in Manchester. The clock is ticking, Gordon.
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Comments
Tiberius
May 6th, 2008 4:34pmThe clock may continue to tick, but I suspect Brown has unwittingly stuck the hour hand to the clock-face with superglue.
Mike
May 6th, 2008 4:35pmCharles, I think you will find that you have no right to condemn whole communities to a decade or more of LABOUR. We have had quite enough thankyou very much. It is time for a change.
Ethan Hurlington
May 6th, 2008 4:53pmIs that actually a photo of Clarke lurking on Downing Street, ready to emerge from the shadows to knife his dear leader in the back???(he almost looks heroic!) Thanks Chuck!
Ann
May 6th, 2008 5:11pm"some of the most chauvinistic and backward-looking parts of British society" - yes, I can just see how that will get people to vote for Labour ... this incompetent fool, who has made a mess of everything he touched when in government, and who thinks that studying history is a waste of time, is the epitome of everything that's wrong with MacLabour: arrogance, ignorance, alienating people with their patronising pronouncements every time they open their mouth, etc. Ah well, keep spewing this bilge, Clarke: you are doing a great job of adding nails to the coffin.
The Wonderful (but now angry) Jones
May 6th, 2008 5:44pmIs it not concerning that in his article Mr Clarke said the Labour Party should "abandon proposals to increase the period of pre-charge detention to 42 days", but then, a sentence later, adds that he "will support the government's proposals"?
This is outrageous.
He has, in one paragraph, said he is openly against an extension, but will vote for it anyway.
What kind of message does this send out? I shall tell you - that this is not a conviction politician and this paragraph alone confirms to me what I and countless others have known all along - that the 42 days detention plan is a purely political issue.
Why else would an MP who is against such a Bill vote for it?
Ian C
May 6th, 2008 6:13pmDoor, horse and bolted rings a familiar noise somewhere in my head!
Richard Lowe
May 6th, 2008 6:41pmThe arrogance is breathtaking: “no right to condemn whole communities to a decade or more of Conservatism.”
Charles, old fruit, you and your cronies have no “right” to “condemn” communities to anything. It may have slipped your mind but communties decide these things for themselves in democratic elections. And the biggest “community” in Britain has just decided to “condemn” itself to a stretch of Conservatism.
Can’t these people see that the world isn’t some babyish cartoon in which they’re the goodies and the Tories are the evil baddies.
Can’t they get the head round the fact that Labour policies have been tried and proved not to work? And that people have started to notice.
David Parker
May 6th, 2008 8:00pmMike, I agree! Exactly what (apart from false statistics and spin) have Nulab actually achieved, and why should we want more of it?
Increased employment? Spinwise, definitely Yes, but a very substantial part of this consists of bureaucratic, unecessary and unproductive non-jobs in the public sector;
( Vastly)Increased expenditure upom public services? Again yes, but with few positive benefits and, in most cases, a decrease in real terms of the quality (and sometimes quantity) of services delivered, except in terms of artificial, impractical and often counter-productive "targets" met.
But, above all else, NuLab have managed to infect politicians of all parties with the concept of the superiority of the "Political Class" leading to an arrogant and contemptuous dismissal of the whims of public opinion.
Small wonder, then, that the political class (Cameron and cronies included) are all basically EU orientated, since the whole EU concept is based upon the rule of bureaucracy, with a constant reduction of public accountability.
The sad conclusion must be that we no longer have any electable political party with the intergity and ability to offer us anything more than the same moral and political "sell out".
Ed
May 6th, 2008 8:14pmCharles has a very fine mind, he would have made a great Tory. Pity this fine mind was wasted on the alter of Socialism and followed in the footsteps of Otto. This fine mind has been condemned to a lifetime of waste and futility. What a shame.
Ed
John
May 6th, 2008 9:09pmA fine mind? Sorry, I spilled some coffee on the keyboard, I was laughing so much. This 'fine mind' thinks that teaching history at our universities is a waste of mind. My cat has a finer mind than this idiot.
Jones, MacLabour politicians are dishonest by definition, end of. What about all the MPs who swore to fight tooth and nail to keep their constituents' post office open, and then voted to close them down? I tell you, these people make estate agents look like country vicars.