‘A party of restless and relentless reformers’ was how Gordon Brown described us here at Labour Party conference in Brighton yesterday. That felt about right, and in case anyone was in any doubt that the prime minister is serious about Labour’s purpose, he outlined a list of commitments for the next Parliament and beyond that should make David Cameron’s eyes water.
A strong message about the roots of the economic crisis underpinned the PM’s speech. Condemning the Conservative view that ‘markets always self correct, never self destruct’, we were also told in no uncertain terms that ‘bankers had lost sight of basic British values’ and negligent ones would in future be disqualified. That was not the only pledge to bring the party faithful to their feet, applauding an impassioned Leader with deepest red gusto.
Praising the NHS as a ’60-year long liberation’ and the best insurance policy his own family ever possessed, he promised diagnostic tests within one week for patients thought to have cancer and a National Care Service to end the postcode lottery, with free domiciliary care for those in greatest need. More loud cheers followed applause for the announcement of evening and weekend opening of GP practices.
This was not the speech of a leader who has given up or who thinks the writing on the wall of Asbo-bound Tory graffers can’t be washed away. He said £1bn will be put into an ‘innovation fund’ to enable the Post Office to bring banking services back into the heart of local communities. It wasn’t just the CWU delegates who cheered for that! Green jobs and internships for small businesses will boost the 2 million extra jobs created during New Labour’s reign.
Restoration of the earnings link for all state pensioners, annual increases in the National Minimum Wage, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit were all promised too. Anyone thinking of spending it down the pub in the early hours of the morning might be disappointed though. Councils are to be given powers to ban 24-hour drinking and pubs and clubs are rightly to be made responsible for clearing up their own Bacchanalian rubbish. Gordon must have been in town the night before as hordes of freshers indulged in brewery-sponsored pub crawls, depositing debris behind them.
Perhaps the loudest applause was reserved for the announcement that constituencies will have the right to recall MPs with ‘proven misdemeanours’ and the inclusion in the next manifesto of a referendum on the alternative vote. No-one should interpret the latter as the vestiges of the already-defeated though. The mood of conference was bullish and determined, safe in the knowledge that C1 and C2 voters are already having second thoughts about the Tories and moving back to Labour.
Earlier in the day the two Johns – Denham and Healey – highlighted the destruction being reaped by ‘Cameron’s Councils’ on tenants and local services generally. The ghost of Shirley Porter now haunts Hammersmith & Fulham. Tenants from the White City estate and others told us of the plan to wipe their homes off the face of the earth and we were reminded of the Ryanair approach to services in Barnet. Keep paying your council tax but only get decent services if you can afford that little bit extra!
John H is fighting back with extra money to build council homes and the promise of more apprenticeships and John D couldn’t have pleased the women of Unison more when he announced a further £500m to close the gender pay gap in local government. A bit more recognition of the sterling work of local government workers was warmly welcomed too.
So where is it all going to come from? There will be no room for profligacy in the next Labour government was the leader’s message. A Fiscal Responsibility Act will ensure that the taxpayer is not lumbered with debts that can’t be repaid. The deficit will be attacked through maintaining and improving public services and ‘realistic’ public sector pay settlements. At least a pay freeze wasn’t mentioned, though a tad more recognition of the vital role of public service workers would not have gone amiss.
So positive was today in Brighton and so grim the tales of Tory rule in local government, that few left the conference centre feeling that a victory next May is impossible. Gordon – the guy who doesn’t take no for an answer - urged us to ‘dream big dreams and then watch our country soar’. It was just what was needed and we will.
