The Labour Leadership Does Matter

The Guardian's poll, with its confirmation of miserable ratings both for Brown and the Labour Party, asked the wrong question. It would be interesting to know if Labour might recover from standing reduced to its core vote if a tri-partite leadership, Harman/Johnson/Cruddas were to be installed. Miliband is clearly as big a turn off as Brown, and for the same reasons - mired in the same New Labour stench and corruption, and failure on every measure.

A Harman/Johnson/Cruddas Front would appeal to women tired to death of the Aspergers boys and their obsessions, reintegrate not just the Unions but the other sectors of the Labour Movement - co-operatives, mutuals, friendlies, more widely-based movements for social and civil liberties, out reach educational movements. Most of all it would offer the kind of policies so acceptable to the population and successful in enlisting their support that are provided by Mr Salmond and the Scottish Government.

This would imply two major reformations: a redrawing of relations within the United Kingdom so that for domestic affairs there is essentially an English Parliament as well as the extant devolved Parliaments, which would be then disposed to intense co-operation in matters of concern to the British Isles; and a Party level reform of Labour, decentralising power and reintroducing constituency party level authority. For how can a political party renew itself as cohorts move into retirement when there is no local level recruiting organisation reflecting the divers communities and localities, and renewing the interest of different sectors of our society? CLPs are hollowed out shells, serving boroughs the central Labor party has sought to make rotten by the purchase of a client vote. It is to the credit of the electorate that once they grasped they are being bribed with their own money they have thrown the New Labour charlatans out at every opportunity since Blair, who at least they elected, was forced out of office by Brownian usurpers.

A Harman/Johnson/Cruddas party would ensure that there is a general election. It will ensure that more than just Labour's irreducible core vote Labour, and could regroup with sensible policies on UK federalism, on relations with the European Union, on investment in infrastructures and power supply, on civil liberties, and on offering a centre left alternative to the Conservative Party.

If Brown/Miliband/Straw/Balls are to retain power then it will be by some means of sidelining the electorate. Brown has presided already over a financial system that has permitted blue murder for the last decade, washing money, arms dealing, tax avoidance on a global scale; London, its unsupervised practices, and its high return currency has started to fall apart. What might Brown agree to preside over in our politics and our state?