The over-arching Jon Cruddas

Uh oh. The Meaningless Guff Detector has been activated. What the Labour Party has lacked since the last election is an “over-arching story”. Jon Cruddas, the party’s new policy supremo, in an interview with The Observer yesterday is more in the tantalising hints territory than down with the specifics. But he has already abolished 19 policy reviews and replaced them with three, on the economy, society and politics. So that is progress.

Unfortunately, many of his most interesting views are paraphrased, rather than in direct quotations. This, for example, on Europe:

He wants to plug the public into the debate on Europe by offering an “in/out” referendum once the shape of the new European Union is known.

Once the shape is known: as I say, interesting.

The rest is just as unspecific: union representatives on company boards I am deeply sceptical about; and as for reforming public services, I am all for hiving them off to the private sector.

But Cruddas could be an important leader in Labour’s future. He understands the need to give New Labour a working-class accent and is not shy of talking about immigration.

Photograph: Jason Alden for The Independent on Sunday

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  “Blessed are the PR gurus, the consultants, the accountants, the lawyers, the top-tier-managers for they shall inherit the proceeds of privatisation”

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• Kugelschreiber

  It is a mistake to transfer the nation’s wealth, control, assets & services to the PRIVATE SECTOR

  The only real difference between the PUBLIC SECTOR & the PRIVATE SECTOR, is
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  …….when funds & assets are allowed to accumulate to the PRIVATE sector, then the PROFIT goes to just a few (often foreign) people & everything, all the ASSETS that really MATTER to our country are OWNED by just a few INDIVIDUALS.

  Who can then do exactly what they LIKE with them, even take them off ABROAD! Or sell them off to foreigners.

  ………..whereas when funds & assets are allowed to accumulate to the PUBLIC sector,
  then any PROFIT goes to THE WHOLE NATION, remains under our OWNERSHIP &
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