Why yes, the title of this blog entry is a pseudo-clever pun on the title of a Rammstein album, and yes, it does translate loosely as “Labour is there for everyone”.
Labour is there for everyone
My political allegiance aren’t really much of a secret. I’m a leftie. Loosely, a socialist. And also, a member of the Labour Party. I figured it was high time that I explained that; something as important as political stance shouldn’t be kept in the wardrobe, and brought out only at elections.
I joined Labour after the May election, honestly heartbroken at the results, and disappointed in the people of Britain. My basic reason for joining then was the realisation that I hadn’t done my bit to keep this coalition out of government. I think a lot of people felt the same, given the massive numbers joining the party in the weeks after the David Cameron took office.
But that’s not really an explanation is it? It’s why I paid the membership fee. It’s not why I’ve been so adamantly opposed to right-wing conservatism all my life. That’s a little more complicated.
I’ll start with by looking at phraseology. Have you ever noticed the names of the three major parties? The Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats. Labour. Spot the difference? Yes, it’s the word “the”. To me, that tells you everything you need to know about Labour. The Tories and the Lib Dems are organisations, institutions. Labour is more than that, more than just an association. Labour is a social movement.
To be honest, that’s the advantage that the left has always had over the right. Left wing politics may have been demonised over the
The red flag has been historically demonised, but actually it's the stalwart of the people's rights
last sixty-odd years by rampant US propaganda, but the truth is that it isn’t the barbaric ideology that a lot of people believe. Socialism rallies people for the greater good, for the advantage and benefit of society as a whole. And that’s where conservatism falls down. It’s harder to rally people to an individualist cause, because it comes across exactly as it is: selfish.
It’s no coincidence that the right-wing uses hate, fear and negativity to gain support. Just look at the Tories’ recent election campaign. It was always how Labour had destroyed the economy (false: the banking sector did that, and the Labour government’s quick response saved us from full-blown depression); how everything had to immediately be cut in order to save the economy (false: severe cuts have already resulted in the Bank of England downgrading economic forecasts, and today the IFS has condemned the Coalition budget as regressive); that immigration is destroying, rather than enriching, Britain.
The Labour government made mistakes, I won’t dispute that. But they did a hell of a lot of good. The minimum wage. Support for the poorest sectors of society. Investment in public services. Vital expansion of the NHS. Political reform, including House of Lords reform and devolution.
Those progressive measures aren’t something you’ll get from a right-wing that values the individual over society, and thus places intrinsic values on people based upon their personal wealth and standing. And given the current identity crisis the Lib Dems seem to be undergoing as the Tories’ puppets and scapegoats, Labour is the only solid representation of the left wing in British politics.
The conclusion to this little rant, is that Labour is for the people, and is the people. That’s what socialism is about. If Labour has made mistakes, if Labour has been heading down wrong avenues, then that can be changed. For all those who hate the injustice this new government will result in, Labour is the way forward. All of the positives achieved by Labour, or any left-wing party around the world, are because people saw that it was unfair, and decided to change things.
Yes, there is the Labour leadership election coming up soon (and I will be blogging about it nearer the time), so there is now a real chance to get involved, and to shape the future. Despite what the Tory press says, the candidates have a lot of interesting ideas to discuss and the more people who get involved, the more comprehensive, inclusive and effective the opposition will be- more than ample reason to take a look and consider joining up.
If the Tories, if the Coalition are not for you, you are not alone. Labour is there for everyone.
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