Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for nine years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
With his round of the tv and radio studios, PMQs and the pre-budget statement, no Labour supporter could accuse Gordon Brown of sulking or hiding this week. Of course, it is a Tory caricature of Brown to say he hides when times get tough and they love to use the Macavity's Cat analogy to lampoon him. (Isn't it strange that when they use a trivial caricature to take the piss, it is 'Oh so funny' - but when Labour exploit the privileged background of their candidate it is disgraceful, a new low in politics and crude class war tactics?). But this week, Gordon has been out and about... and getting on with the job!
And that's part of my beef. Gordon, we know you're getting on with the job, and we know all about the 10 years of unprecedented growth, and the low inflation, the record number of people in employment and the number of children taken out of poverty. Oh, and while we're at it, spare us the Cameron/bike/chauffeur/brief case story... and the recent lack of substance, salesman line is beginning to grind already.
Yes, I know it's difficult when you are facing a Leader of the opposition who has a limited comedy routine and relies on jokes instead of policies. But he does it because you don't laugh very naturally and you answer every 'joke' with the same litany of statistics, which reinforces the contrast the Cameron is trying to exploit. Cameron isn't actually that good at the piss-take routine anyway (Vince Cable showed him in a few short weeks how it should be done). Blair was much better at whacking Cameron's jibes back at him... the old public school debating forum rehearses the toffs for this sort of thing, but you need to try a different tack.
In the final analysis we will discover whether the electorate want to hand over the economy to a shallow, old Etonian (oops, disgraceful slur) comedian or someone they know can do the job. But Boris Johnson's victory over Livingstone shows that can happen, so, for the time being at least, Gordon, you need to change the record and work out a better line response.
You could always try doing what Andy Howell suggests, sit down and watch how Alan Johnson responded to hostile questioning last Thursday on Question Time. The notion of being unfailingly polite and answering the question can be quite a disarming tactic. Johnson has risen through another tough school. From trade union shop steward through to General Secretary also prepares you for dealing with the cut and thrust of debate, and for someone from your background it would work far better than trying to go toe-to-toe with the toff or appearing to read the shipping forecast with employment statistics.
Labour are surely plumbing the depths with their website homepage "Do you want a Tory con man or a Dunwoody?" (and that comment must be actionable I would have thought) but they aren't campaigning on policies. I am also confused about some of the difference between the candidates being highlighted by Labour - Dunwoody is slating the Tory candidate because he lives a few miles outside of the constituencey being contested - she lives in Wales! Do you really think that this is what the people of this country deserve from Labour?
'Isn't it strange that when they use a trivial caricature to take the piss, it is 'Oh so funny' - but when Labour exploit the privileged background of their candidate it is disgraceful, a new low in politics and crude class war tactics?'
Not at all: Macavity the cat is indeed a trivial caricature, while references to class differences are not trivial. By your logic, given a dire enough electoral situation you'll soon be saying that racial slurs are 'trivial caricatures', and quite alright for Labour to use.
Class really isn't an issue any more; attacking people because of something beyond their control- the situation they are born into- is unacceptable. Labour, and those of the left, have always claimed to accept the latter point: it is high time they actually did.
neither are the Tories.Unless you count Cameron's attempt to turn the by election into a referendum on the 10p tax issue, despite the Tories originally opposing the 10p tax rate and refusing to promise they'd reinstate it. The Tories can't campaign on policies because they have none.Unless you are going to start sticking some demon eyes on Gordon Brown, but that would just be silly, wouldn't it?
But if I understand you.. With distate at attempts to ignite class tensions in C&N among even labour bloggers (aside from your good self of course), reports of similar distaste in C&N itself, polls showing the tories ahead in C&N, and the election which you mention of a 'toff' as London Mayor, I'd suggest it really isn't. Class warriors of the old-school will get the left nowhere.
What will be interesting to see is whether the tories really will tease out the policies they claim they will. They've laid out a solid foundation in terms of overall vision (post-bureaucratic state etc.), and given interesting tasters with the odd green papers. If they do, then I'm afraid class-war as a labour tactic is especially doomed. Love or loathe, the tories have had policy reviews ticking over for years now, while labour seem to have been steadily bleeding ideas. It's that battle for new ideas that matters, not old blinkered ones about class.
Just cast your mind back to last Summer and the grammar school issue, James. Cameron wanted to come across all 'one nation' Tory-ish, and they soon slapped him down.
Trueish on grammar schools: he's certainly got his work cut out in keeping the fractious grass-roots tories with him, I don't think anyone would deny that. That said, I think its the voters in the centre ground who really matter here.
On Hopi Sen, hmm. The only thing that I struggle with are the words 'millionaire's row', which is irrelevant. It shouldn't be there, no doubt about it. But, and this stoppers my pouring tears, the main point being made is the fact that the labour candidate is not local (works in Belgium, lives in Weybridge). The emphasis is not on class, rather unlike C&N.
Must say, though, if that house costs a million Weybridge is one hell of a rip-off.
Disingenuous, James, as well you know, lots of PPC's live outside of their constituencies. The whole point of the Tory leaflet was the word 'Millionaire'
Gary Elsby said:
May 19, 2008 12:05 PM | permalink
Bob, I find the class war going on to be redundant (now two toffs run the Tories).
The Conservative candidate in Crewe is estimated to be worth £100 Million.
The "toff" campaign is utterly inane and an insult to the electorate. Our ex Leader has just bought a �4m house, most Cabinet Ministers live in luxury with several homes. It won't wash. As I said on my blog, I couldn't care less where someone went to school. It's the way they live their lives which is important.
John Prescott, our erstwhile working-class hero, making a fast buck from his unedifying memoirs is not a great spectacle. Likewise Cherie Blair. If Labour lose C and N, well they only have themselves to blame for going for the lowest common denominator - Beano politics about Lord Snooty. No-one's buying it any more....give people policies to care about and maybe they would vote for us
I agree with every single word of that Susan, but as I know you also know, class politics is not dead, as many would like us to believe.
Gary Elsby stoke-on-trent said:
May 20, 2008 9:26 AM | permalink
You are absolutely wrong, Susan. Class war is very much alive and ill.
Don't kid yourself (or attempt to kid me) that Dave and Gideon will balance the books entirely from tax credits.
Yes, we must have policies that voters aspire to and yes we must have the right people in place to administer them, but above all, we must have thos epeople in place with a big heart who actually mean what they say.
I've already lived under (under is an accurate word) Tory/Conservative/Dictatorship and I didn't like it.
It is about class. My class versus their class.
They gave my sort nothing and gave their own sort, everything, until they destroyed themselves and lost all credibility to sleaze.
I see no sleaze or corruption within Labour ranks and I see a Government entirely committed to Social Justice and the re-distribution of wealth.
May 18, 2008 10:39 AM | permalink
Bob,
Labour are surely plumbing the depths with their website homepage "Do you want a Tory con man or a Dunwoody?" (and that comment must be actionable I would have thought) but they aren't campaigning on policies. I am also confused about some of the difference between the candidates being highlighted by Labour - Dunwoody is slating the Tory candidate because he lives a few miles outside of the constituencey being contested - she lives in Wales! Do you really think that this is what the people of this country deserve from Labour?