Labour conference: Iain McNicol sells Labour as so much more than a political party

Iain McNicol’s speech to his party’s conference this afternoon picked up on one of Ed Miliband’s big themes from this morning’s Marr interview: the idea that Labour is an anti-politics political party. The party’s general secretary praised the work of Labour members on various social campaigns, and then added:

‘Politics is fractured and needs mending. Earlier we stood in silence to remember those of our friends who have passed away this year including the fantastic Philip Gould. I remember him once saying politics was like a vital football match being played out between the reds and the blues. But as the players fight for every ball, strain for every goal, the crowd is drifting away. The game goes on, but the stadium is emptying. Soon there’ll be nobody left.

‘But politics is too important to leave to wither… it breaks my heart, when I know how different we are. And the cynicism that declares that politics can’t make any difference to people’s lives.