Labour still don’t have a clue

The opposition can keep telling themselves that Cameron is a closet Thatcherite – but it won’t make

By Christopher Montgomery Published 20 January 2011 19:13

What's going to stop Labour from winning the next election is that, six years in, they still don't know who and what they're fighting. And since the next election could be a lot sooner than 2015, this is the gift that keeps on giving for the right. Before Ed Miliband can convince the public about himself, he needs to be convincing about David Cameron – and that's never going to happen for as long as the left keep kidding only themselves that the Tory leader is a closet Thatcherite.

It's hard to see on the face of it what the evidence is for this piece of wishful groupthink. Even with a crypto-Keynesian like Ed Balls as shadow chancellor rather than the more Blairite figure of Alan Johnson, it's the scale of the economic consensus that ought to stagger us and not the, in truth, marginal cross-party divisions, which are hyped up for despatch box effect.

But then what else is there? Whatever the Guardian wistfully hopes about right-wing economics leading to heroin-dealing nurses, selling mush like the "big society" as a threat to voters is surely a fantasy too far. If even Tory MPs who approvingly spout "big society" platitudes can't put any details on the warm feelings, it's improbable that Tom Baldwin's going to.

At every turn the government is exactly what Cameron hoped it would be – liberal. It's liberal in its social mores, it's at least as windily green as Labour, and it's pro-European. Many on the Tory right would say it's unarguably been so ever since Cameron broke his "cast-iron guarantee" that there would be a referendum on Lisbon. Yet like it or not, topped up by 50 Lib Dem MPs, the coalition also inescapably seems to people uninterested in politics to be that bit more liberal than a Tory-only government would have looked and sounded. Insisting that the government is not what the public plainly thinks it is, is a strategy Labour can try, but why's it going to work?

You can't even hope for a Thatcherite tone from this regime. There hasn't yet been a fight that Cameron hasn't run away from: from an abject refusal to milk-snatch to being pistol-whipped by Mumsnet, this Prime Minister will limbo under any tabloid headline held in front of him. So all Labour is doing now is repeating Steve Hilton's Demon Eyes mistake. Telling voters what they know to be untrue – "this man is a ravenous right-wing ideologue" – makes Labour seem incredible, and not in the good way.

Instead of crying wolf and inevitably being caught out for doing so, why not take a leaf out of the Clinton playbook? If Labour wants to exacerbate Cameron's undoubted party management problems, why not triangulate? Why not explicitly offer him support for his most obviously progressive and liberal measures? That's the way to push the Tory right over the edge. And as things stand, it's only they who are going to unseat Cameron any time soon.

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40 comments

Thu, 2011-01-20 19:28 — rangechanger

if memory serves me correctly,Tony blair was a thatchers boy and swopped
sides then procceeded to wreck the old labour party.But they couldn't see it coming.

Thu, 2011-01-20 19:30 — undercoveragent (not verified)

Great first post. good to have a mix of opinions, from left and, yes, right

Thu, 2011-01-20 19:36 — Chris (not verified)

Mr Cameron actively supports the bloodsports of fox hunting, hare coursing and stag hunting. There is nothing 'liberal' about supporting vicious cruelty in the name of entertainment.

Mon, 2011-01-24 22:10 — matthew fox (not verified)

@ Dave C

I think Mr Montgomery is talking about Krypto, Superman's Dog.

Sat, 2011-01-22 12:38 — Amsterdammer (not verified)

BORING

Mon, 2011-01-24 22:11 — Des Demona (not verified)

The only difference between Cameron and Thatcher is that Thatcher had bigger balls. At least she came right out and said 'there is no such thing as society' Dodgy Dave throws out the buzz word 'Big Society' and hopes we won't notice that the 'Big Society' means the poor and disadvantaged relying on charity and goodwill.
Same as Thatcher.

Thu, 2011-01-20 20:23 — matthew fox (not verified)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I think that is the gist of Mr Montgomery article.

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:59 — jie4v7i14

Well, five days is a long time in politics it seems, isn't it. Labour do not have a clue, you say?

More tea vicar?

Sat, 2011-01-22 14:48 — Lou (not verified)

@Dave C

It normally indicates a secret allegiance to a political creed - in this case Keynes.

I think perhaps the author needs to think a little more on his use of language and it's actual relevance to the point as it is he who seems to not have a clue. Ed Balls is after all hardly a secret Keynesian.

Now Cameron or Clegg as crypto Thatcherites would be a far more interesting and relevant point for the author to discuss, don't you think?

Thu, 2011-01-20 21:12 — Chris (not verified)

While Cameron is far more touchy, feely than Thatcher; he is still following the Thatcherite playbook step by step. He is currently restricted in what he does by the need to reduce the deficit but if he gets a chance to govern with less financial problems we'll see where he really is on the political compass.

Thu, 2011-01-20 21:51 — thinkov

Cameron out blairing blair and you're deluded if you think this condem lot are Keynesian
it's Monetarism

Fri, 2011-01-21 17:37 — undercoveragent (not verified)

@peter
you don't have to buy it. comment is free remember, and montgomery is on the blog not in the magazine. by the way, do you only want your own prejudices and positions affirmed? must be fun living inside an echo chamber, no?

Black Triangle Anti-Defamation Campaign in Defence of Disabl's picture

Thu, 2011-01-27 12:16 — Black Triangle Anti-Defamation Campaign in Defence of Disabl (not verified)

"Why not explicitly offer him support for his most obviously progressive and liberal measures?"

What, like his policies to kick the living daylight out of the sick and disabled, for example?

He's already done that! Oh yes, very progressive' - very "genuine reform" that!

Get real!
Black Triangle
Anti-Defamation Campaign
In Defence of Disabled Claimants
http://www.facebook.com/blacktriangle1

Fri, 2011-02-04 11:37 — swatantra

We may no have a clue but we're doing pretty well in the polls right now. The public seem to have twigged that there is an alternative to ideological cuts, and that is, a measured and sensible approach to deficit reduction. As most commentators have pointed out, govts have been in debt since WWI, or recorded history, but its never stopped the country from ticking over. Balancing the Books is not the be all and end all, particularly is it leads to misery and hardship for the most vulnerable in society.

Thu, 2011-01-20 23:03 — Daniel (not verified)

Reducing taxes for companies (including the banks), cutting benefits for the poor, increasing regressive taxes like VAT (the tory tax Thatcher adored), privatising public services, carbon emissions projected to continue rising (so much for vote blue go green), “pro-EU”? What a load of rubbish (only if you call staying in the EU being pro-EU), and unemployment rising and set to pick up pace in the next few years.
How on earth you managed to write a whole article on Cameron NOT being a “Thatcherite,” I will never no.

Thu, 2011-01-27 11:53 — Robert Taggart

When did Liebour ever have a clue ? !
The so called 'party of the working class' be no more than a plaything of the upper-middle class. All those 'publicly' educated professional politicians... and Liebours voters know no better than to vote for them !
At least the Tories are middle-class... like their electorate.

Fri, 2011-01-21 00:33 — MultiJoe

You're completely terrible, I don't know why a left-wing magazine hired you, please go back to Conservative Home or wherever you crawled from.

Fri, 2011-01-21 01:15 — Des Demona (not verified)

Is it just me or does Montgomery's picture look like a bad police photo-fit?

Tue, 2011-01-25 13:03 — Desperation (not verified)

There is nothing more tedious than a editor desperately trying to generate page views than going down the obvious route of using a blogger troll to annoy its audience. Tacky. Apparently, mission accomplished. Nice thread, eh.

Sun, 2011-01-23 00:10 — Lex (not verified)

"Illiberal, unprogressive and traditionally Thatcherite"

Your blogs are going to make me cry :(

Fri, 2011-01-21 04:42 — dewithiel

Is 'Christopher Montgomery' the new 'Gideon Donald'? I mean he almost looks the same albeit with an Alistair Darlingish sort of beard.

Tue, 2011-01-25 15:51 — mitchy

@ Des Demona: Nah, its not just you, Mr Montgomery's Tory head looks stuck on and out of scale with the rest of him, unless he has a very large head...

Fri, 2011-01-21 09:28 — Luddite (not verified)

matthew fox, take your head out of the sand!! Labour stopped delivering when Labour ran out of our money. Before you can spend wealth first you must create wealth. It's the job of government to facilitate business and enterprise not to create countless unproductive jobs. Labour failed because Labour no longer understands wealth creation. It is folks in factories and offices that produce wealth, not parasitic state bureaucrats.

Tue, 2011-01-25 15:56 — mitchy

Does the Spectator have a liberal, progressive and traditionally anti-thatcherite writer doing a blog every week? Hmm. Thought not.

Fri, 2011-01-21 09:57 — tomjoad

Jeez!
Christopher Montgomery,another irrelevant, snooty, head up his arse,froth at the mouth right wing loony,who's raison d'etre is just to disagree with everything and everyone.
He has many aliases,Simon Heffer,Jeff Randall,Richard Littlejohn,Peter Obourne and on some days on the month Melanie Phillips.
What a waste of a N S article.

Fri, 2011-01-21 21:42 — matthew fox (not verified)

@ Luddite

I think your head is in something, it's not sand, but probably on your person so to speak.

Just keen to know why I would put my head in sand, I'm miles away from the coast, could I use an alternative like Marshmellows or Ready Salted Crisps?

Mon, 2011-01-24 13:03 — Hans Castorp (not verified)

Dave C

"cryto-Keynsian" is a half-baked attempt to smear an established, serious - and correct!- body of macroeconomics (founded by a staunch capitalist and classical liberal) as just another political more to be bandied about and degraded.

Expect a lot more of the same as the fruits of Osborne's illiteracy on economics ripen over the next year or so, and the right's tactic of smearing something true because they don't like it is the only card they can play. (Urk. Apologies for the mixed metaphor there.)

Fri, 2011-01-21 09:57 — Dave C (not verified)

What exactly is a "crypto-Keynesian"?

Fri, 2011-01-21 10:03 — writeoff (not verified)

Cameron is dismantling the NHS, flogging everythign that isn't nailed down, about to murder the BBC and hand broadcasting to Rupert Murdoch and you say he's not Thatcherite!! Jesus.

Mon, 2011-01-24 13:30 — Dave C (not verified)

In the absence of a response from the author, I've looked up "crypto-Keynesian" a little. It seems to be applied to Republican presidents such as Reagan and Bush Junior who espoused 'conservative' economic policies but actually borrowed heavily and spent the proceeds on such useful things as refitting Second World War battleships.

What the relevance of that is to Ed Balls, who knows (except perhaps Christopher Montgomery)?

As far as I know, Balls is quite happy to openly draw on Keynesian ideas. There's no "crypto" about it.

Tue, 2011-01-25 16:23 — Freeman2

I always think its funny how these Labour people who'd run a mile from anything like socialism have a go at the Tories. You're play-acting and we all know it.

Mon, 2011-01-24 13:46 — ivan (not verified)

"Why not explicitly offer him support for his most obviously progressive and liberal measures?"

Probably because the Labour party on balance opposes them.

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:01 — Daniele1

The NS is one of the very few left wing publication in this country. Most of the British media, including TV is shamefully right wing. Why oh why the NS thought a good idea to use a right wing writer for its columns. I am puzzled.
In a sea of right wing propaganda, we could have, I thought, an oasis where we didn't have to waste time reading bullocks , but where we were sure to read some reasonable stuff to help us refine our own thinking.
There is absolutely no point reading something which, you know is diametrically opposed to your own political stance. it just raises your blood pressure and brings nothing.In fact maybe the best thing would be to ignore his articles and not send any comments at all.
I hope the NS thinks again and tells the Montgomery chap to go back to Eton or wherever he comes from and get stuffed.. literally.

Wed, 2011-02-09 17:46 — MattNW5 (not verified)

And as many other commentators have pointed out, the deficit is not the same as debt - it is the rate of increase of debt. Incredible that some people STILL don't get this!

Mon, 2011-01-24 16:37 — Sean (not verified)

Absurd. If you're going to get a right-winger to write you, you could at least get one that doesn't make bare-faced fucking lies.

"Not a Thatcherite"?

Ha!

Sun, 2011-01-23 14:55 — J.H. (not verified)

Actually Chris, you are wrong. Allowing people to do what they like to foxes is more liberal. Just because it does match up with the policies of the "Liberal Left" (note capitalisation) doesn't make it illiberal.

Sat, 2011-01-29 19:44 — Reginald-Fah-fah

Ed Balls has all the clues Labour Party needs.

He's a mastermind!It will be great to hear plans and clues on the Andrew Marr show tomorrow!

Tue, 2011-01-25 21:28 — Dave C (not verified)

Daniele,

Many people live in a bubble where they only choose to listen to things they agree with. For example, some Republicans in the USA might spend their time only watching Fox News and listening to Rush Limbaugh.

It's potentially useful of the NS to offer us the views of someone on the right of the Tory Party. Whether Christopher Montgomery is the man for the job remains to be seen.

Tue, 2011-01-25 21:58 — Daniele1

Dave C:
Yes but I know about those "other" views, as they are prominent in all the other papers/news channels etc..It isn't as if it is even possible to live in a bubble like many Americans do.
Like some one says you don't see many right wing papers eager to employ left wing journalists just to get other views, so why does the NS bother with this nonsense?
As for me, this is the first and last time I spend reading this column.Life is too short. When I feel the urge to read rubbish, all I have to do is look at the headlines of the majority of the papers at the newsagent stand and I immediately know I shouldn't bother to read any more.