Following from yesterday’s post, here are the final five points of 2010:
6. Ed Miliband
Whilst the press jumped on the appointment of the youngest Miliband (who won by by less than 1% in the final round) as being heavily influenced and therefore prejudiced by the Unions as a step backwards those within Labour recognised that Ed was the best man to break away from the previous pettiness that has so dominated inter-party relations, and move us on. Dubbed Red Ed almost instantly, and rather ridiculously, Miliband was slated across almost all the papers and it wasn’t long before he was being judged far too harshly as in the pockets of the Unions and as someone who would take Labour back to the ‘bad old days’. However, you’ve got to remember that he was the elected leader, and that those Union members that helped him succeed are ordinary members of the voting public. The voters had spoken and they wanted to move 'back to the left', and with Ed Miliband at the helm there is an excellent chance of this happening. Though he’s been involved at the top level for years, he was a relatively fresh face and a surprise winner to the contest, but he was the right winner, and with him, Labour can accept the challenge of regeneration and take on the government as a strong, prepared and capable opposition. He has also started to act for the next general election by crowd-sourcing for policy and building up the party from within. This, along with his social, civil and political rights agenda, we're afforded a welcome change from the top-down statism of New Labour. We now have a strong core, increasing membership and a capable leader: we need to use this to our advantage and be ready to take on the ConDems whilst they are in government and then at the next elections to ensure that we get back into power.
7. The Blair & Mandelson Books
These days it’s autobiographies that you can find filling up the bestseller lists, so it’s no great surprise that two of the biggest releases were the memoirs of Tony Blair and of Peter Mandelson. The expectation of such tomes is now so prevalent that it would be surely more unusual to find a former leader, or one of ‘influence’, not releasing a book shortly after their term; indeed Brown is already being quizzed as to when his version of the past two decades will be completed. Which brings me to my concern that future political figures will act, not always in the best way despite themselves, but how it would best be conveyed in text. Sexed up and with scandal dripped out in conveniently sized morsels through the broadsheets, perhaps our desire for the intimate details of their lives is counterproductive and unnecessary. Do we really need to know who shagged who, who punched who and who has a deep dark secret that actually isn’t so deep or so dark with the temptation of a sizable advance? No. In an ideal world we’d be able to move away from this red-top fascination with personal lives and instead focus on what actually matters, and hopefully in the future we can actually let our politicians act like this instead of feeling compelled to make everything ‘interesting’.
8. Phil Woolas
The dethroning and subsequent vilification of Phil Woolas has certainly split opinion in the party as a very definite schism was formed. As two camps established themselves, you were pro-Woolas, and believed him to have been unfairly treated, an elected representative being scapegoated and an all round nice guy, or you were with those who thought that he got what was coming to him and that the type of literature and campaign that he ran was rightly condemned. Though this is by no means a scientifically accurate sample of the split, it seemed to be that members of the PLP and those close to them were in the former and ‘ordinary’ members the latter. Labour was divided and we need to learn from this divide. We also need to learn that campaigning of the sort that Woolas did (blatantly aggravating, malicious, and false) is not and will never be acceptable, no matter what a ‘good guy’ he is, or that he ‘deserved’ such a seat. As a party we need to be united, not divided, and should never been seen to condone this type of behaviour. It is not with underhanded techniques and patronising leaflets that we will win elections and be secure in our mandate, but by honesty and sincerity.
9. Student Protests
Arguably the biggest game changer in how politics on the left has been fought, and will continue to be fought, this year was the protests in London and across the country in response to the three-fold rise to university fees and against the ConDem cuts in general. Despite the label of ‘progressive’ and desperately justified by the government, the public decided that enough was enough and took to the streets en mass to register their disapproval at such unfair policy. Violence soon followed the peaceful demonstrations that were organised and occupations sprung up the length and breadth of the country. Naturally the comparisons to the 1980s came thick and fast, but this is a new age of protest. This is the time of social media, of Web 2.0, of smart phones and flashmobs; this is the time that protests can be ‘leaderless’, can be spontaneous and can be fought. The disgusting use of kettling by the police (particularly the met) has displayed just how free the right to protest is, and this must be opposed as much as possible. Indeed, it was easy to see how protesting tactics evolved over the course of the wave of protests starting in early November; students decided that the best way to get their message heard was to avoid police kettles by splintering and moving fast over the icy winter roads, while launching legal actions against the worst excesses of the police. Though it can sometimes feel as though these demonstrations have been commandeered by certain factions (not affiliated with Labour) and that the direction they can take may be counter-productive, 2010 has seen a definite rise of direct action and this is sure to continue. As a Party, and as a people, we need to work with this rejection of apathy and build upon it. People, and in particular young people, are interested in Politics again, and this can never be a bad thing.
10. Wikileaks, etc.
What does privacy mean? Not much these days, let’s face it. Whether you have been reading the (admittedly mostly dull) release of the cables from Wikileaks or have found it tiresome and pointless, it cannot be denied that there is a degree of importance to this. Personal liberties may have been becoming increasingly restricted, but governments are not above this level of inspection either. Freedom of Information requests are on the rise and with Parliament still in the shadow of the expenses scandal, politics is becoming less smoke and mirrors, less nudge-nudge wink-wink and an act which is performed behind doors between those ‘in the know’ and is turning into more open sphere. We would do well to remember this and to act accordingly. Governmental leaks will inevitably happen again and again, and when they do we should have nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing that we wish to have hidden, which means that starting now we need to be aware of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ more than ever before, and not just assume that Situation X can be brushed under the carpet forever. Yes, there are certain issues and diplomatic situations which should not be in the public arena due to their very nature, but should such matters come to light, we should work so that there is nothing unethical or basely wrong that we have done during such procedures.
And so there we have it, ten events which have changed the way we should be doing, and responding, to the world around us. What do you think? Are there any other events which you believe have had an even greater influence over the past 12 months?
Next year will surely be more interesting with the continuation of protests, the referendum on voting, the Liberal Democrats dealing with their massive decline in support and a new leader for Labour who will have found his feet. We are in the midst of interesting times for the country, and for Labour, and we need to unite and to consolidate on this, the best we can.
6. Ed Miliband
Whilst the press jumped on the appointment of the youngest Miliband (who won by by less than 1% in the final round) as being heavily influenced and therefore prejudiced by the Unions as a step backwards those within Labour recognised that Ed was the best man to break away from the previous pettiness that has so dominated inter-party relations, and move us on. Dubbed Red Ed almost instantly, and rather ridiculously, Miliband was slated across almost all the papers and it wasn’t long before he was being judged far too harshly as in the pockets of the Unions and as someone who would take Labour back to the ‘bad old days’. However, you’ve got to remember that he was the elected leader, and that those Union members that helped him succeed are ordinary members of the voting public. The voters had spoken and they wanted to move 'back to the left', and with Ed Miliband at the helm there is an excellent chance of this happening. Though he’s been involved at the top level for years, he was a relatively fresh face and a surprise winner to the contest, but he was the right winner, and with him, Labour can accept the challenge of regeneration and take on the government as a strong, prepared and capable opposition. He has also started to act for the next general election by crowd-sourcing for policy and building up the party from within. This, along with his social, civil and political rights agenda, we're afforded a welcome change from the top-down statism of New Labour. We now have a strong core, increasing membership and a capable leader: we need to use this to our advantage and be ready to take on the ConDems whilst they are in government and then at the next elections to ensure that we get back into power.
7. The Blair & Mandelson Books
These days it’s autobiographies that you can find filling up the bestseller lists, so it’s no great surprise that two of the biggest releases were the memoirs of Tony Blair and of Peter Mandelson. The expectation of such tomes is now so prevalent that it would be surely more unusual to find a former leader, or one of ‘influence’, not releasing a book shortly after their term; indeed Brown is already being quizzed as to when his version of the past two decades will be completed. Which brings me to my concern that future political figures will act, not always in the best way despite themselves, but how it would best be conveyed in text. Sexed up and with scandal dripped out in conveniently sized morsels through the broadsheets, perhaps our desire for the intimate details of their lives is counterproductive and unnecessary. Do we really need to know who shagged who, who punched who and who has a deep dark secret that actually isn’t so deep or so dark with the temptation of a sizable advance? No. In an ideal world we’d be able to move away from this red-top fascination with personal lives and instead focus on what actually matters, and hopefully in the future we can actually let our politicians act like this instead of feeling compelled to make everything ‘interesting’.
8. Phil Woolas
The dethroning and subsequent vilification of Phil Woolas has certainly split opinion in the party as a very definite schism was formed. As two camps established themselves, you were pro-Woolas, and believed him to have been unfairly treated, an elected representative being scapegoated and an all round nice guy, or you were with those who thought that he got what was coming to him and that the type of literature and campaign that he ran was rightly condemned. Though this is by no means a scientifically accurate sample of the split, it seemed to be that members of the PLP and those close to them were in the former and ‘ordinary’ members the latter. Labour was divided and we need to learn from this divide. We also need to learn that campaigning of the sort that Woolas did (blatantly aggravating, malicious, and false) is not and will never be acceptable, no matter what a ‘good guy’ he is, or that he ‘deserved’ such a seat. As a party we need to be united, not divided, and should never been seen to condone this type of behaviour. It is not with underhanded techniques and patronising leaflets that we will win elections and be secure in our mandate, but by honesty and sincerity.
9. Student Protests
Arguably the biggest game changer in how politics on the left has been fought, and will continue to be fought, this year was the protests in London and across the country in response to the three-fold rise to university fees and against the ConDem cuts in general. Despite the label of ‘progressive’ and desperately justified by the government, the public decided that enough was enough and took to the streets en mass to register their disapproval at such unfair policy. Violence soon followed the peaceful demonstrations that were organised and occupations sprung up the length and breadth of the country. Naturally the comparisons to the 1980s came thick and fast, but this is a new age of protest. This is the time of social media, of Web 2.0, of smart phones and flashmobs; this is the time that protests can be ‘leaderless’, can be spontaneous and can be fought. The disgusting use of kettling by the police (particularly the met) has displayed just how free the right to protest is, and this must be opposed as much as possible. Indeed, it was easy to see how protesting tactics evolved over the course of the wave of protests starting in early November; students decided that the best way to get their message heard was to avoid police kettles by splintering and moving fast over the icy winter roads, while launching legal actions against the worst excesses of the police. Though it can sometimes feel as though these demonstrations have been commandeered by certain factions (not affiliated with Labour) and that the direction they can take may be counter-productive, 2010 has seen a definite rise of direct action and this is sure to continue. As a Party, and as a people, we need to work with this rejection of apathy and build upon it. People, and in particular young people, are interested in Politics again, and this can never be a bad thing.
10. Wikileaks, etc.
What does privacy mean? Not much these days, let’s face it. Whether you have been reading the (admittedly mostly dull) release of the cables from Wikileaks or have found it tiresome and pointless, it cannot be denied that there is a degree of importance to this. Personal liberties may have been becoming increasingly restricted, but governments are not above this level of inspection either. Freedom of Information requests are on the rise and with Parliament still in the shadow of the expenses scandal, politics is becoming less smoke and mirrors, less nudge-nudge wink-wink and an act which is performed behind doors between those ‘in the know’ and is turning into more open sphere. We would do well to remember this and to act accordingly. Governmental leaks will inevitably happen again and again, and when they do we should have nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing that we wish to have hidden, which means that starting now we need to be aware of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ more than ever before, and not just assume that Situation X can be brushed under the carpet forever. Yes, there are certain issues and diplomatic situations which should not be in the public arena due to their very nature, but should such matters come to light, we should work so that there is nothing unethical or basely wrong that we have done during such procedures.
And so there we have it, ten events which have changed the way we should be doing, and responding, to the world around us. What do you think? Are there any other events which you believe have had an even greater influence over the past 12 months?
Next year will surely be more interesting with the continuation of protests, the referendum on voting, the Liberal Democrats dealing with their massive decline in support and a new leader for Labour who will have found his feet. We are in the midst of interesting times for the country, and for Labour, and we need to unite and to consolidate on this, the best we can.
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