Budget March 2011 - Educate & Cooperate

The first real opportunity since last year's election to get a truly progressive government will soon be upon us and if it is to happen the Labour Party has to step up and be counted.

Labour must actively engage and cooperate with other opposition parties if they want to make real strides towards effective opposition and real changes.

They must be seen to cooperate. Not just behind the scenes, but in public with joint ventures and public displays alongside others on the left. If they want to tell people they represent the united face of the left then they have to start acting like it.

Otherwise Mr E Miliband might as well just get comfortable sitting on the opposition benches for the next four years. But they don't have to.

Labour must educate people, get their message out and let people know their true constitutional options.

Labour must be prepared to govern at any moment should the cracks in the Tory-Liberal coalition widen and split the tenuous union.

If Labour can muster enough support to block the Conservative budget they will trigger a vote of no confidence. In that situation all possible options will be considered before parliament is dissolved and another election is called.

In that event Labour must be organised and have strong alliances.

The most obvious government following a coalition split would be the Tory minority that was felt likely after the 2010 election or a rebuilt Tory-Liberal coalition. But Labour will have the chance to demonstrate that they can command the confidence of the house, something they can only do with an effective coalition.

To build that real opposition and governing alternative I feel Mr E Miliband must stop slapping Liberals with his right hand, refusing all cooperation, while attempting to convert them with his left. It is only breeding resentment amongst the party that has long been Labour's closest ally in parliament.

Mr E Miliband must find Liberal Democrats he can work with and support their efforts to oppose and expose the Tory excesses. He must give the Liberal backbenchers real options in the the ongoing struggle to recover the UK economy while leading united opposition resistance to the more illiberal moves by Mr Cameron & his followers. A great chance has been presented by Shirley Williams' successful defence of Liberal Democrat health policy at their spring conference (Helm, 2011). Labour should be following this up with parliamentary support for better and more progressive options.

Recent news (Wintour & Stratton, 2011) that Mr E Miliband will be sharing stages with Mr Charles Kennedy (Liberal Democrat) and Ms Caroline Lucas (Green) are a step in the right direction. I hope for more of this from Labour in the future.

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References:
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+ Toby Helm's 'Nick Clegg suffers defeat as Liberal Democrats reject health reforms'; March 2011;

+ Patrick Wintour & Allegra Stratton's 'Charles Kennedy can share pro-AV platform with Labour leader'; March 2011;