Labour have at last revealed an insight into their policies for government. On the Andrew Marr show (BBC, 2011), Mr E Miliband backed his shadow chancellor Mr Ed Balls' statement that the Labour party cannot promise to reverse cuts made by the coalition (Wintour, 2011).
Has Labour disregard for its supporters really become so entirely expected that nobody can be bothered to be outraged any more?
The Liberal Democrats and Mr Nick Clegg were crucified for their 'U-turn' on tuition fees.
Yet when the Labour Party has attached itself to anti-cuts protests (Meikle, 2011); when Mr E Miliband has stood on podiums and made sanctimonious speeches; and then directly contradicts those actions & words, contradicts those entire movements - why hasn't there even a murmur of outrage? Where is the consistency?
Has the fear of the (specifically Tory party) right become so great that Labour can do whatever it wants with impunity - knowing it will get the votes anyway?
Only months ago, Mr Balls took to the pages of the Guardian to promote a budget Plan B - an alternative to the ideologically conservative cuts program (Balls, 2011):
'Going for broke with a rapid deficit reduction plan – too far and too fast – was always a gamble for George Osborne. His reckless decision has choked off the British recovery, leaving us badly exposed if things now go wrong in the Eurozone and the US. So we need an urgent change of course – a Plan B on growth, jobs and leadership.'
What happened in the meantime?
When the Liberal Democrats where forced to postpone - yes, postpone (BBC, 2011) - their commitments to a phased abolition of tuition fees, they at least displayed the evidence motivating their decision. Namely, discovering once in government that all public estimates of the state of the UK's economic situation had been entirely too hopeful (BBC, 2010) and the proposals of the labour commissioned Browne review (2010) into higher education funding, combined with the negotiation of an alternative that would be acceptable to both parties within the coalition.
Issues are rarely clear cut. It is possible to oppose one cut & approve others. But the oppositionist rhetoric - absolutely condemning the governments cuts with one breath and then announcing that you support them and will keep them in the next - is dishonest.
Mr Clegg has been branded, chastised and pigeon-holed by the media. He has become the whipping boy for the nations' disillusionment with its Tory led government. Its a bandwagon that Labour have been happy to jump on and exploit to promote the image it likes to portray - as the bastion against Thatcherism.
Yet today we have another example that the Labour party has long since lost its way. It can no longer be trusted to be a bastion against the right.
It was given the chance following the last election of being just that - by finding a compromise that allowed a rainbow coalition that put the clear progressive parliamentary majority in government. Even before negotiations had really begun Labour threw in the towel. Backbencher after backbencher appearing live on the BBC to denounce staying in office, before slinking away to the opposition benches - taking with them any right the party retained to claim they were the red brick house that keeps the Thatcherite wolf at bay.
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References:
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+ BBC's 'Miliband defends backing public sector pay freeze'; 15 January 2011.
+ Patrick Wintour's 'Ed Balls risks union anger in push to bolster Labour's economic credibility'; 13 January 2011.
+ James Meikle's 'Labour defends Miliband's cuts rally role and condemns "hooligan" minority'; 27 March 2011.
+ Ed Balls' 'Repeat the bank bonus tax'; in The Guardian's 'My plan B for the economy'; 27 July 2011.
+ BBC's 'Hughes says Lib Dems still want to scrap tuition fees'; 31 March 2011.
+ BBC's 'Liam Byrne regrets writing "flippant" Treasury note'; 30 May 2010.
+ Lord Browne's 'Securing a Sustainable future for higher education - An independent review of higher education funding & Student finance'; 12 October 2010.
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