View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Long reads
19 March 2009

Manifesto for renewal

When Alastair Campbell agreed to be our guest editor, he invited readers of his

By Staff Blogger

Here we print a selection of those ideas, which will be passed, along with others sent in, to Ed Miliband, one of the ministers involved in drawing up Labour’s platform for the next election when it comes. In the main we have included these exactly as written. Some have been edited for length.

Via www.labourlist.org

  • This party will renew its commitment to democratic and constitutional reform in this country, and will do so by completing the reform of the House of Lords.
  • Pier Barrett

  • Through investment in renewable energy and the creation of green-collar jobs, we will make Britain a self-sustaining nation in terms of energy generation by 2020
  • Richard Green

  • We will cut the number of government departments by 50 per cent and set a clear hard target to move 40,000 civil servants out of London by 2012
  • Chris Jones

  • By rebalancing the paternity/maternity system and treating parents equally, Labour will give families more choice in their childcare arrangements, support responsible fathers and reduce pay inequality
  • Carlo Gibbs

    Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
    • Administration / Office
    • Arts and Culture
    • Board Member
    • Business / Corporate Services
    • Client / Customer Services
    • Communications
    • Construction, Works, Engineering
    • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
    • Environment, Conservation and NRM
    • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
    • Finance Management
    • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
    • HR, Training and Organisational Development
    • Information and Communications Technology
    • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
    • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
    • Legal Officers and Practitioners
    • Librarians and Library Management
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • OH&S, Risk Management
    • Operations Management
    • Planning, Policy, Strategy
    • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
    • Projects, Programs and Advisors
    • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
    • Public Relations and Media
    • Purchasing and Procurement
    • Quality Management
    • Science and Technical Research and Development
    • Security and Law Enforcement
    • Service Delivery
    • Sport and Recreation
    • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
    • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
    Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
    THANK YOU

  • Labour is committed to the UK being at the forefront of digital technology and will pledge to ensure a “fibre to home” network for every major UK city within five years and all of the UK within ten years
  • Arnie Saccnuson

  • If any elected representative lies to the British public he/she should be removed from office and banned from office for life or for a period of years dependent on how severe the deception is
  • Louis Rynsard

  • We will grant every young adult up to £20,000 on turning 18 years old as a reflection of the stake they hold in society
  • Pier Barrett

  • We will make fair trade the norm, because fairness is not a luxury. Our values of equity and justice extend beyond our borders
  • Nick Roxburgh

  • There will be much greater extra-curricular opportunities in sport, music, drama and art – for all children, not just the privileged
  • Callum Totten

  • We will legislate to ensure that interest rates cannot be charged at more than 2 per cent per month (26.8 per cent APR)
  • Stephen Sweeney

  • We will hold a referendum on a more proportional voting system, on the same day as a general election
  • Michael Calderbank

  • We will create a ministry of public works. Every local council will take funds from the employment job centres and spend those funds employing local people to create and build services decided, for the public good, by local committees, formed from people selected by the elected MP and elected councillors
  • Max Good

  • We are committed to legislating for a national holiday to commemorate Remembrance Day on the closest Monday to 11 November
  • Alex Smith, London

  • We will liberalise the utility supply sector
  • Jes Keenan

  • We will equalise the Barnett formula. North Sea oil and gas means Scotland can stand on its own two feet
  • Paul Afsha

    Via www.alastaircampbell.org

  • We will introduce a “living” wage over the existing “minimum” wage; reinstate the lower 10p tax band; introduce a higher tax band of 60p for those earning above £100,000; and increase the National Insurance Upper Earning Limit and 40p tax band – all of which would support those on the lowest incomes at the same time as increasing revenue for public services such as the NHS and education
  • Chris Allen

  • Every school, and particularly special schools, will have a school nursing team sufficient to co-ordinate all health needs of the children they serve, saving money, time and lives by transferring resources from the hospitals
  • Duncan Enright

  • We will develop a national network of cycle lanes separated from the road so people can cycle in safety, improve their health, protect the environment and create jobs
  • Will Parbury

  • We believe there is such a thing as society, and intend to foster a more equitable society by taxing the top 5 per cent of earners more
  • Simon Wellavize

  • Prisons, utilities and public transport are not for profit. We will return them to the public sector
  • Rob Taylor

  • Labour are committed to end the age discrimination in the National Minimum Wage. We will support an equal minimum wage for all workers, regardless of age.
  • Hollie

  • As education is the key to fairness and social mobility we will remove charitable status for private schools. We will provide investment in state schools, community education centres and vocational training that a Conservative government would not
  • Francis Bond

  • We will return to a properly funded university grants programme and remove the link to parental income, which disadvantages lower- and middle-income families
  • Lou Rossati

  • As we are a party that believes in social justice for all, and climate change disproportionately affects the poor of this country and of the world, we will take decisive actions to achieve our ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets, and help Britain’s citizens become greener while maintaining a high quality of life. We will halt airport expansion and coal development, upgrade rail, offer free insulation for low-income homes
  • Edith Speller

  • We will introduce tax relief on childcare, as the best way to make work pay for mothers and fathers alike and give them flexibility
  • Michelle de Leo

  • We will increase carers’ allowances to a living income instead of the token sum full-time carers currently receive
  • Irene Burton

  • We will make it compulsory to vote and will introduce reforms to deter fraud
  • Charlie

  • We will end selection in schools by aptitude
  • K White

  • We will remove the last great discrimination – against people who are mentally ill – by subjecting it to the same measures as apply to discrimination on grounds of race, physical ability, religion, gender or sexuality
  • Jane Appleton

  • We will lead the way in proposing a European Court on the Environment
  • K White

  • We will bring in more measures from national government to enable and support older people to stay in their own homes
  • Jayne Innes

  • A clear value statement akin to “for the many not the few” setting out our vision for the future. There will be a fundamental and comprehensive reform of the political system to clean up sleaze, make people feel that politics is worthwhile and valuable, and to tackle the cynicism of the media.
  • Mark Dempsey

  • We will set a target of 80 per cent domestic waste recycling throughout the UK by 2020
  • Michael Tombs

  • We will make local and national participation in the democratic process fully accessible online
  • (via AC Twitter page, name unknown)

  • The world’s environmental problems are caused by three things which seem – whether for political or religious reasons – too “hot” for even the media to discuss. They are: population, population and population. We will open this debate.
  • Marcus Dillistone

  • We remain committed to a free and fair press. But in light of the failure of self-regulation to uphold standards or respect for the difference between public interest and interest of the public, we will abolish the Press Complaints Commission and replace it with a body with the same remit on a statutory footing.
  • Mariella Frostrup

  • We will lower the voting age to 16, have the same minimum wage for people of all ages, and give free local travel for teenagers
  • Charlotte MacKenzie

  • We will introduce compulsory and fully comprehensive sex education into all primary and secondary schools, discussing not only biology and disease but also sexuality and the celebration and embracing of all types.
  • Elizabeth Rhodes

  • It is Labour that understands that internationalism is key to full economic recovery. Engagement instead of protectionism is the way forward as well and continuous investment in public institutions like the NHS and education will place Britain on the road to economic recovery
  • Dean Perry

  • Domestic politics will be taught to all children from the age of 14, the curriculum agreed by a panel of universities
  • Dan

  • We will take seriously all forms of oppression against women, ranging from the pay gap to sexual violence, from objectifying advertising to the limiting of opportunities, so that women finally become important, autonomous and unoppressed individuals in society
  • LSL

    Via www.newstatesman.com

  • We have made mistakes and realise our own failings in causing the current financial crisis. Yet, as the party of change and leadership, we are best placed to offer a new path to stability and social well-being in the future
  • gsb2391

  • We will introduce a “Guaranteed Annual Income” or “Basic Income”, which will replace all unemployment, sickness and incapacity benefits and state pensions
  • Paul Lettan

    Via www.labourhome.org

  • Under a Labour government, we will end inheritance tax loopholes, in order to open up a Universal Inheritance Fund for every 18-to21-year-old, paying £15,000. In order to access such funds, a six-month service must be completed under a National Civic Service we will be setting up. Three options will be part of such a scheme: working with children, as classroom assistants, as children’s centre support staff or in school sports; helping the sick and elderly in care homes, hospitals or community facilities; or working on an environmental project, building new national parks or refitting social housing.
  • Jkitleft

  • Put people first and business second – because that’s the only way that business will survive
  • Curlew

  • By investing in renewable energy and creating millions of green-collar jobs, we will abolish fuel poverty and make Britain a self-sustaining nation in terms of energy supply by 2020
  • Red Rooster

  • We will make prescription charges free and in doing so reduce inequality in service throughout the United Kingdom. We will embark on a major council housebuilding programme. This will create thousands of jobs and help the economic situation throughout the country
  • Bevanite Ellie

    Content from our partners
    The promise of prevention
    How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
    Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

    Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
    • Administration / Office
    • Arts and Culture
    • Board Member
    • Business / Corporate Services
    • Client / Customer Services
    • Communications
    • Construction, Works, Engineering
    • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
    • Environment, Conservation and NRM
    • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
    • Finance Management
    • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
    • HR, Training and Organisational Development
    • Information and Communications Technology
    • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
    • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
    • Legal Officers and Practitioners
    • Librarians and Library Management
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • OH&S, Risk Management
    • Operations Management
    • Planning, Policy, Strategy
    • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
    • Projects, Programs and Advisors
    • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
    • Public Relations and Media
    • Purchasing and Procurement
    • Quality Management
    • Science and Technical Research and Development
    • Security and Law Enforcement
    • Service Delivery
    • Sport and Recreation
    • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
    • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
    Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
    THANK YOU