As 2010 draws to a close and the usual slew of reviews and analysis take up our television screens, newspaper supplements and general malaise, we’ve (well, I, at least) have decided to contribute with our own list of ten events of the year that have shaped the future of progressive politics. In the first of a two part post we share with you the first five, in no particular order:
1. TV Debates
For the first time in a General Election campaign, Britain went all American in its media coverage and creation of the issues surrounding the main three parties. Televised debates were held, and scored, across three major networks and for the first time, the public (those who somehow didn’t usually manage to find the time to watch the dear party leaders squabbling at noon on a Wednesday!), got a chance to see Brown, Cameron and Clegg in action at a debate. Clegg was crowned the victor, and though it was conceded that Brown did a lot better than he was predicted to, this was clearly the start in a new style of politics. We need to take on board that these days elections are not won just on policy but on performance, and properly understand the sway that such events have on an electorate; debates such as these will be seen as de rigueur from now on, and the ability to stand out and show who you are, and what you can do, will surely be the key to success.
2. ‘Bigotgate’
Oh, poor Gordon... The man who seemed to repel all forms of good luck and attract misfortune was caught calling Gillian Duffy, a lifelong Labour voter, a bigot in the ‘privacy’ of his own car. As we all know, the Sky News microphone picked up on Brown’s comments as to the ‘disaster’ that the meeting had been and it wasn’t long before the story was being broadcast across all networks and news outlets with Brown having to give Duffy a very public apology. But why is event in our list? Well, quite frankly it comes as no surprise that a politician didn’t like someone who he had to talk with, nor even that he said something that could be considered offensive, no, it’s because it is another example of how the political arena has changed. The media now has an enormous influence over the public (take 'Sachsgate' for example) and often decides itself what the issues are and what the reaction to them should be. Brown may have been mistaken in his comments, but what he was most certainly mistaken in was not being cautious as to who ‘heard’ his comments. Care must be taken with broadcasters who have no loyalty to anything other than ‘the story’. We must remember not to become the story, but let our policies take the lead.
3. Election Defeat & Coalition
As the results rolled in, people around the world turned their attention to the future of British politics, nervous about just what would happen now that no single party had reached the precious 326 MPs required (Sinn Fein and other anomalies aside) to be declared the majority winner. Though we in Labour had not been confident of a win, it still came as a crushing blow which only worsened when the coalition that formed was that of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. This is a partnership that has now showed itself to be a clearly right-wing one and an insult to the word ‘progressive’ it so loves to use. Broken promises, swingeing cuts and a couple of ‘aristocratic’ middle aged white men in very nice ties moving away from both their parties’ core has created a situation in which Labour can come back and show the public that it is only they who can truly represent their views and only they that actually care about the same issues. Labour must learn from this defeat, we must be aware of just why we lost this election, and build on this for the future.
4. Bye, Bye Brown
As the coalition was forming and the country was still unsure as to whether the Liberal Democrats would pledge themselves to the Conservatives or to Labour, Gordon Brown stood on Downing Street and announced that he would be stepping down as Labour leader. Emphasising the ‘parliamentary’ rather than ‘Presidential’ politics that we should be proud of in this country, Brown stepped to one side for his party and for his country. An unassuming man, Brown will probably be remembered by the masses as a dithering and dour individual who ‘spent too much’ and ‘brought about the recession’, however, this is simply not the case. Shining during his speech to Citizens UK in May, Brown shows all the potential of the great leader we never really gave a chance. Tarred with his predecessor, and underrated as Chancellor, Brown has received poor treatment by the press and public. We should remember him for all the good he did (minimum wage, improvements to the NHS, tax credits, lifting 700,000 children out of child poverty, etc) and that today, being a good man and a statesman, if not a great politician, isn’t necessarily a way to win affections or elections.
5. Labour Leadership Campaigns
Summer was dominated by the battle of the brothers (and those other three...) for the Labour leadership. An impressive series of hustings across the country and taking into account the different elements within the Party saw the five candidates do battle in a process that was deliberately drawn out so that the right one, and the right direction for the Party, could be chosen. Policies and prejudices were batted around between the Blairites, the Brownites, ‘Old Labour’, ‘New Labour’, ‘New New Labour’ and the rest. The result may have been controversial to some, in particular the press, but it signified a step back to the left and, with any hope, a new era for Labour itself. Each of the candidates shone in their own way, with even the previously relatively unassuming Andy Burnham from here in the north-west shining. The Party became rejuvenated by its members as membership levels soared and many people came ‘back to the fold’ after years away. The leadership process let the country know that Labour was now willing to step back, assess itself, consider its problems and move on to become the opposition that would be needed to fight the ConDem government. Labour needed to show itself to be a viable alternative once more, and indeed I believe it has done just that.
The remaining events will be posted tomorrow!
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