Question Time, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party debate

I've decided to blog on the deputy leadership of the Labour Party debate on Question Time. I will blog on what I think of each contender. My second blog of the day.

First Question is on Tony Blair's biggest Failure.

Hain: Affordable House, because of the priority on Health and Education during the first few terms. Lesson learn on doing more on Houses. Very good arguements by Hain there, and I do think Social housing is a key issue for Britain today.

Harriet: Tony Blair's been sucessful and gave us a strong economy. Biggest Failure is Iraq. WMDs were a mistken believe.

Blaers: Biggest Failure is not convincing Public that the criminal justice system is working. Arrogant and obnoxious are usual. Saids it's a top issue but not raised in hustings...hmmm.

Cruddas: Straight forward anwser, first of the night, simply Iraq.

Benn: Not closing the gap between rich and poor fast enough and good enough. Very good anwser there, very social democratic. Good anwser by him, a real serious Labour issue. Tackling poverty is a key issue for Labour, and for British society, as he rightly said.

Johnson: Tackling the issue of children in care. Statistics on all the problems caused by the failure on children in care, saying they are most disadvantaged.

Some good anwsers there and indications that some of the cannidates are interested and do believe in social justice.

Some questions for the aduience now. One on Iraq, why they not tackled it then.

Blaers: More or less avoided question. Said it was a First time the hosue had debate and vote on war. The same arrogance from her like on Newsnight.

Hain: Said he believed in the WMD arguement put forward, should strengthern international insitutions. Proud to be a progressive and internationalist.

Cruddas: Voted For it and regrets it, admits he made a mistake in voting for the war, Believed there was WMDs, but he knows it was wrong now.

Harriet: Wouldn't have voted if she knew then what he knows now. She saids she believed in WMDs, but said it has been a disaster for Labour, with many people leaving it. Mistake of good faith.

Johnston: Wouldn't made any other sdescions, first time debate and vote on war in the house.

Benn: Not asked, sadly.

Honest anwsers there by almost all of the contenders, Iraq is one of the biggest crisis facing the Labour government today, and a lot needs to be done by Labour to sort out the problems in Iraq, and also to attempt and regain the trust of the British people, which was lost over the WMD failures.

Had you been deputy leader, how things would be different:

Johnson: Not done anything different from Prescott, been discret and loyal to the leader.

Harriet: Pushed women agenda further up the political agenda

Hain: Re-connect the government to the grassroot, and stop bouncing policies on the membership out of the bklue. Bind leadership closer to the membership. Need to win back the 4 million votes lost at the last election.

Cruddas: Stop the hemeraging of membership, not taking any ministeral posts. Just deputy leader of the party.

Blaers: Connect the prime minister to communities. Every single cabinet minister seeing what works and don't work. She is one to talk about arrogance and out of touch, that is her to the parr.

Benn: Prescott has been a great deputy leader. Need politics that listerns to people, to deal with problems, restore conifdence in politics.

Again good anwsers there, and it is good to acknowledge that Prescott has done a good job, which he has done, and he did the job of keeping the party together internally, and seems to me to be quiet approachable.

Question from Audience: Jon Cruddas is popular with his principles, should the others take a leaf out of his book

Benn: Hopes the debate continues, not a "lurge back to the left" because these are issues people are concerned aobut.

Hain: Job of the deputy leader is to listern, increasing taxes is part of listerning to that. No label of New Labour or Old Labour, just Real Labour. Gordon Brown is furious with him, acording to the "feral" media, but Peter dismissed it as nonsense. Speaking for the grassroots.

Cruddas: Talks about the issues that people want to address, not "Old" Labour, need to build social housing, look the PFIs in the NHS, Conempary Labour, need to articulate needs of working people more.

Johnson: Jon is not "Old Labour", however party not broke with tradition, moved centre ground to the left.

Harriet: A Radical team that is realistic, basically her and Gordon should lead. She thinks Gordon and her has boardest support, and she and Gordon can deliver it. Got into government for being progressive, dealing with high unemployment, public services that were staved of funds, and a wrecked economy. We need to have radical polices, but we need to make changes to carry on shifting political centre ground to the left, and progressive.

Blaers: Concerned that moving away from the so-called centre ground is dangerous, strong economy and social justice combined. Keep taxes the same, against Peter Hain on this issue. Her arrogance shining through again here.

Benn: Election is not like the apprentice, but not given a chance to anwser it, thanks to Harriet interupting.

Good again to see some very good anwsers there form most. It is good to see that Labour cares about centre-left politics of social justice, inequality and progressive, social democratic politics, despite the lies and spin from rivial political parties. We have done a lot on these issues over the 10 years and have imrpoved Britian, and improved the lot of for the poorest of Britian, like it or not, that is the honest truth. It is good to see that the deputy leadership canidates want to see this carry on and have put out their stalls to carry this on, Labour is still a party of the centre-left, of democratic socialism and social democracy, and is the party of social justice and equality.

Special Relationship with US

Benn: Trancsends whoever is in power in America (Democrats or Republican) serves Britain well int he past and future

Johnson: ditto Benn

Harriet: We should be critical when we disagree with them, but not anti-American for the sake of it.

Hain: Need to deal with whoever is in the White House, our sister party, the Democrats are likely to get into presidency, something Hain is thrilled about. We need a progressive internationalist politics.

Others not asked.


Education question from the aduience, for over the doctors education "not working".

Johnson: Sure Start and 25% imrpoved in GCSE, more investment in education. Claims the question is not about education, but saids that the problem is in with the education system. We now have enough domestic doctors now.

Others not asked.

Accusitions of Big Brother State from adueince.

Blaers: No 1984 state, international terrorism means we need to make these changes, to protect our society from criminals and terrorists. Balance is needed. No real anwser on what balance now. Just why it is go good. Arrogrance again.

Harriet: Villiange and balance is needed for civil liberties, balance is there with Human Right Act, introduced by this government. The courts can say that we breached human rights. It's about making people safe. Good points raised by her there. However she also opposed Guantanimo Bay, and thinks that it should be closed down, and a Security Council resolution over it. (which the yanks would veto) disclose prionsers being transported.

Others not asked.

Which law should be removed from the last 10 years.

Cruddas: Change renewing tridant, and also allowing asylum seekers working. Too good ones there, great cannidate for the deputy leader.

Johnson: 17p on state pension was a mistake, should have been higher. Big mistake. Which is a pretty "left wing" point for him.

Blaers: Should implement more. Arrogrance again. Trying to be honest? I dont think she is.

Benn: Should look forward to the future, tution fees should stay because it broke back the mantainance grant and has helped more people get into education (which is correct) because it got rid of upfront fees.

Hain: Too many regulations, school trips is an example, since the paper work and hunt after wards, makes people too scared. Need a balance between protecting people, but pull back compostation culture. Which is correct.

Harriet: About if the legalslation address the problem is there, where is their too much legalsation. Disagreed with premiss of the question.

Good anwsers again, but in my opinion, pretty much a non question.

Will the deputy leader's have influlance over Brown?


Hain: We will have influlance, Worked with Grodon Brown over N.Ireland and he listerned to him. Can't do the party jsut as a party job but needs to be in the cabient. Sounds like a massive dig at Jon Cruddas there, who said he won't be in cabinet.

Blaers: Gordon has a clear idea over what his policies is. However been influlance over localism.

Harriet: Worked with Brown and been deputy with him before. She influlanced him over her time in the treasury. Was accused of being a patsy by David, which she slammed him for, and rightly so.

Johnson: He will listern and be influlanced. Aslong as arguements right and perserve to him.

Benn: Making the arguements and setting up the stalls, and Brown wil weight up the arguements for and agaisnt and will decide what is best.

Cruddas: Mandate to artiulate the view of the party to leader. Need to forcus on articlating party views to the government. That be the full time job.

A very important question to ask, due to the media and Tory Spin that Gordon Brown doesn't listern. Labour must prove that Brown is a listerning politican and someone who is willing to hear and act on what he hears. However that does not mean being too scared of taking the tough descions and flip-fliopping, like David Cameron.

Greatest political achieve by their co-runners.

Hain: Benn done a good job on international developement.

Benn: Harriet for argueing over childcare and women's issues.

Harriet: Cruddas, for putting the question of social/counciling housing on the agenda.

Blaers: Johnson, for bring in parentity pay and more wokrer's rights.

Johnson: Blaers, been a good chair of the party.

Cruddas: For being a skillful politican.

Hain not mentioned over N.Ireland, suprisingly.


End of programme, now. However many intresting issues raised there, and I think that the way I been intending to vote has been confirmed. All 6 cannidates put in strong showings, mostly. However I think that Cruddas came out on top of it, with Hain and Harriet both very close seconds.

However I be happy with almost any of these cannidates becoming deputy Leader, because they are all pretty strong. The only one I don't want to see is Hazel Blaers, whom would lead us to a Tory Government in 2009.

The rest are willing to listern to the membership, and are willing to speak up for what the membership believe in, and they all made pretty centre-left wing, social democratic points, which just goes and show that the Labour Party is the of social democracy, social justice, fairness, democratic socialism and of progressism.

More radical policies needed to tackle Child Poverty

A report today by former welfare minister Frank Field, has critised the government's policies on tackling child poverty, however not the sentiment, nor the ambitious and progressive targets set by the government.

The biggest problem with the system, the reprot argues, is that it discriminates against two parent families, especally those working, and it claims that levels of working poverty for children have returned back to 1995 levels, and that the government is set to miss the targets it set for itself.

The government must take a more radical approach to tackle and eradicate Child Poverty, which is a long term and one of the major goals of every Labour govenrment since the creation of the Labour Party. The progress that has been made so far has been very good, with the government lifting millions of children out of poverty.

However the targets are ambitions, and we need to have ambitions and radical policies to meet them. Labour must make sure that two-parent families and working families are not left behind in the welfare state, that they get the money, the help and the ability to get out of poverty.

This doesn't only mean increase the money they get, of course not. It requires more programmes to give families living in poverty help to climb out of it, it requires investing in education and also giving children living in poverty an equal chance in education, and making sure they start on even footing with the peers. It also means making progreess in changing the minimum wage to a living wage, ensuring that everyone can survive on minimum income, making sure that everyone gets a decent income for their work.

Free child care is also a must to help fight child poverty, this would allow more people to get into work if they have young children, of course they should not be forced into work, and forced to sue the free child care. However it should be there for those who do want to work.

As I said earlier, the progress that has been made so far is good, however the ambitious goals set by the government, mean that ambitious and radical policies are needed, if this Labour government is to eradicate child porverty, which would be an amazing legacy for any social democratic government.

Time to build a progressive alliance, and let the left really win in Wales

The election of Rhodri Morgan as First Minister under a minority Welsh Labour government, is firstly a victory of progressive, left wing socialist politics and shows that, in Wales at least, the European left is very much still alive. In fact 63% voted for progressive centre-left parties in Wales (Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats), and they have gotten what they wanted, NO Tories in the cabinent. The fact is Labour, Plaid and the Liberal Democrats have more in common with each other, then they do with the Conservative Party, and people like Darren Miller AM (Tory).

The make-up of the third Assembly and the (hopefully long term) end of the "Rainbow Allaince" has given Wales a unique opportunity to go down a new path, a path were Labour,Plaid and the Liberal Democrats co-operate more closely and work together for a common goal. However this will require a change in attitudes in all the political parties, especally Welsh Labour, who haven't had the same opportunity as Plaid, Tories and Liberals have of co-operation during the past term of government.

Welsh Labour must forgive Ieuan for wanting to jump into bed with the Tory Party, it is understandable that he wanted to be First Minister at any cost, however that does not make Plaid Cymru "weak dafodil Tories" and I do not believe the party are a reactionary right wing party. The Liberal Democrats are another matter, since they swing all over the place.

During this next term, Welsh Labour need to learn and modernise itself to adapt to the Propotional Representation which Wales has, through the minority government it has to learn about co-operation, cabinet coalition and working with other parties for a common goal. The Welsh Labour Party also need to modernise in other ways (however I do NOT mean becoming another Blairite New "Labour" party as that would be disasterous), but that is another matter.