wage!
IT'S BEEN another case of the dog that didn't bark.
What is most surprising about the summer outbreak of criticism of lony blair s rightward-moving Labour Icadership is not how many but how few MPs and union Icaders have spoken up. how complaints, and how docile the Party as a whole appears to have hecome since the de. feat of Clause Four.
Who would have thought Blair could have ditched so many policies and snubbed so many key figures with so little resistancer Clearly Labour loyalists are scared that any serious fightback against Blair could jeopardise the Party's hopes or cycatually winning as ti general election for over 20 years.
But it comes to somcining when most of the Labour left. minimum including most of the Social. Edmonds. ist Campaign Group of MPs. remains silent, leaving it to old-style right winger Roy Hattersley to complain at 'New Labour's' apparent inaltercace to ine poor, ano poant out that ane party Is certainly desperate to win, but it needs to be reassured about the purpose of winning".
The first signs of a resistance came when the obscure midlands MP Richard Burden criticised 'New Labour's' drift towards becoming a US. style party, and its 'stalinist' ing class roots. top-down style of centralising all decision-making around the leader's office.
Burden's article in New Stalesman and society was followed by a wave of outbursts from other low-profile MPs Paul Flynn and Ronnie Campbell, and then by interviews and articles from union leaders Bill Morris and John Since then the field has widened, with Peter Hain. Ken Livingstone, Dennis Canavan and -corse wanoway getting in on the act, echoing in various ways the uncase at the party's rightward drift and increasingly authoritarian stance, its lack of membership involvement, and the domination of Blair's inner circle by arrogant middle class refugees from the SDP. lacking Blair's offensive has left any commitment to or respect the Party stripped of any radifor the Labour Party's workcal appeal to the clectorate on the key issues of the day. Discarded In a summer of droughts and water company rip-off But as the heap of Labour scandals the Party has abanpolicies discarded under oritise renationalisation of the moth proportions, there is still water industry. no sign that these sundry indi- As the gulf between rich viduals have any intention of and poor widens to record lev. leading or joining a coordi- els. Blair has snubbed the unnated fight back for radical or ions by setting his face against putting any figure on a minimum wage. Amid rising anger over the huge salaries of top bosses. scrapped its pledge to lift the ceiling on national insurance payments for top camers. The Party shows no such concern for the poorest, however: Blair's team have dropped any commitcat to mercase pensions and child benefit. Anti-union With public opinion swinging back to support for A more radical line could win support among low paid workers such as student nurses seen here at Charing Cross Hospital in a sleep out protest against rent increases from its promise to scrap the bureaucratic purchaser. provider split. And while thousands of parcots, cachers, governors and school stocats marco th protest at education cuts, Labour has made no pledge to increase spending. and renexca on its picose to onny opted-out schools back under council control. While the policies are bad enough, it's the less definable issue of Blair's style of leadership that nas provocco a dic most widespread tide of anger make a real difference to tt way they live.
This remains the most dn matic contradiction of all. Th first few months of a Labor government on Blair's pol cies would quickly shatter tt illusions and rouse the angi of important sections of th working class, not least in th public Sector.
Encouraged by the ri moval of the Tories, worker would be less prepared to a cept insults at the hands ( British capitalism's "secon team". Clashes between th are almost certain.
Contemptuous Contemptuous thoug they are of the working cla: and its organisations, much Blair's right wing base in tf Party will have little stomac for a fight when the tide star flowing against them.
But the question is wheth a credible left wing alternati• will have been developed lead the fightback, That why it is important that no the silence has been broke Blair's left critics go back ar prepare for govertical ing idly by as the Party is p litically it means fighting ba now, bunding a cooroitse left wing response. and chi lenging each of Blair's poll retreats as and when they o