Labour ignore Tory poverty paper at their peril
By guest author, Anthony Painter
Iain Duncan Smith has become indispensable to David Cameron's Conservative revival. The work that his Centre for Social Justice has done in its Breakdown Britain reports has prepared the ground for a new advance in Mr Cameron's broad tent political strategy. Having brazenly marched his new Toryism onto the environmental and NHS agendas, the Tory Leader is now pitching his tent on that traditional Labour turf: poverty. And Mr Duncan Smith was at his side as Mr Cameron marched forward at yesterday's launch of the Conservative's 'Making British Poverty History' report.
This Toryism is a world away from 'the no such thing as society' brutal neo-liberalism of Margaret Thatcher. This comes across as genuine social concern and the Labour party ignores this audacious political manoeuvring at its peril.
In the video above, David Cameron talks to volunteers on an Islington housing estate and declares, "Of course poverty is about lack of money. But you must also tackle poverty by getting to the causes." The causes? Lack of work, educational failure, family breakdown, drug abuse, debt, and crime. Gone is the traditional Tory hectoring moralising about poverty. Instead, we are presented with a workmanlike solution-driven approach. In reality, very few practical solutions are actually proposed. Some of those that are proposed are liable to be cherry picked. I'm sure the Chancellor may well consider pinching the idea to increase Working Tax Credit for couples by £32 per week at a cost of £3bn.
Ultimately though, the Making British Poverty History report is less about practical policies and more about political positioning. Labour will rightly defend its record of removing 600,000 children from poverty, introducing work-rewarding tax credits, the New Deal and the National Minimum Wage. The Conservatives' concern is new and not wholly convincing, combined as it is with an undercurrent of smothering the voluntary sector with praise in order to undermine the public sector.
As political positioning though it is highly significant and, ultimately, Labour needs to be ready with a staunch counter-attack. The worst thing that could happen from the Government's perspective is for people to feel that there is no difference between the Tories and Labour on poverty. Should that happen then Iain Duncan Smith, the quiet man of British politics, would have found his voice to devastating effect.
Anthony Painter is a regular writer for Tribune. His blog can be read here
I hope we see some change, as a member of the newly legislated into poverty class courtesy of the former chancellor, some common sense is needed. I get taxed into poverty, then have to beg tax credits back out of the tax paid, in the meantime I am unable to apply for credit to expand my business because of the former chancellors 'quiet legislative changes' I am bound to pay for my services by prepay, the most expensive way of course courtesy of my after tax low income etc. etc. The Former chancellor put a lot of us, who were working and getting on, on the back foot time and time again with his manipulations. It's fine if you give in and accept labour client status, then it's easy to just subsist along; but if you have any ambition for yourself, your family, your kids future then god help you as the 'wrath of Brown' is felt. A typical closet champagne communist & betrayer of the working class.... for personal power.
Posted by: thomas lang | Tuesday, 29 April 2008 at 03:49 PM
I would say that I am apolitical, simply because I have drifted away from the Labour party over the last ten years. It was obvious from the start (after the celebrations, and the ousting of the Tories), that Tony Blair and "New Labour", were not going to stand for the ideals of Ramsay Macdonald. The Conservatives were always about Middle England and the rich, Thatcher destroyed the trade unions. The utilities were privatised and the gap between rich and poor grew, in a "loadsamoney" culture.
Tony Blair (a self confessed Thatcher admirer), aligned himself with the elite, the City of London, and then, following 9/11 he clung on to the coat tails of the most right wing US administration in history.
We need the Labour party to start looking after the majority again, and not simply setting themselves up for a comfortable retirement. If they cannot do this, then it is time for a new party to emerge, possibly along the lines of Progressive Democracy or Social Democracy.
Posted by: AndyUK | Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 08:37 AM