There is no doubt this is a big year for Labour. The biggest since 1996. Gordon Brown needs to re-take control of the political agenda otherwise he will be a lame duck PM. In the same way as one's boss is always asking one to be proactive at work, Brown needs to be proactive and pre-empting problems. He has taken a hit for things that haven't been his fault mainly because he hasn't looked strong enough or reacted in the right way.
How can he do this? Seeking to be firm and fair on party funding would be a start. It might not be that popular but state funding of political parties is the only way to stop accusations of cash currying favour. State funding would need to gain the support of the voting public by showing it to be fair and impartial. Democracy and politics has to be paid for somehow and this is the least bad option.
He also could do with looking at key posts in government and the civil service? Are all key personnel comptent? Ratings would tumble if another example of government incompetance arose.
Is Brown up to the challenge? I think so, but I'm not quite sure.
2 comments:
How would you see the link with the unions changing in an era of state funding for parties? The status quo would hardly be an option would it?
On the other point, the team Brown has brought in have been a bit shite to be honest. This is from the point of view of someone who is sympathetic to the party, but not a member. I was expecting a lot more from people like Balls and D Milliband.
I'd hate to lose the union link because they created the party in the first place. The party would have to ensure they kept representation in the constitution.
With team Brown, the quetion needs to be asked whether they have had hte chance to shine. Briwn has either blocked them, other issues have got in the way of their work or are they not that good?
Post a Comment