Welsh Labour plumbs new depths
The election of Alun Michael as Welsh Labour leader had one immediate and spectacular result – Labour support in the opinion polls dropped by a remarkable 10 percent.
Peter Hain, Michael’s campaign manager, was quick to blame thin on the leadership campaign, claiming that the party had been "looking inwards … to an excruciating degree".
In reality, it was not the leadership contest that caused the drop in support, but rather the undemocratic way in which it was conducted, and the consequent outcome.
Most of the 10% transferred their support to Plaid Cymru, leaving Labour on 51%, Plaid on 23% and the Tories on 16%. The response of the Labour leadership was to launch a vitriolic attack on Plaid, entitled "The A to Z of Nationalist Madness".
This is a truly dreadful document, reminiscent of the worst kind of negative campaigning conducted by the Conservatives and the ‘No’ campaign during the Assembly referendum.
It attacks Plaid Cymru for many left-wing policies, which socialists in the Labour Party would equally support, such as the abolition of student loans and prescription charges.
The document reaches the level of farce with the final heading, "Z is for zealots", where Plaid are attacked for wanting Wales to have its own seat at the UN, under the name Cymru, which the document disparagingly points out would fall between Cuba and Cyprus.
While the "A to Z" is quick to attack the Welsh nationalism of Plaid Cymru, it makes no mention of the British nationalism of the Labour Party, which is all too ready to cloak itself in the union jack, to talk of "One Nation Labour", and to parade bulldogs in election broadcasts.
This latest campaign shown clearly what Michael and Hain mean by "a new, inclusive politics in Wales".
According to Hain., "It marks the death knell of the weary, gladiatorial style of British politics, where petty point scoring invariably triumphs over sensible debate".
The "A-Z" is exactly that kind of petty point-scoring and illustrates what the new "inclusiveness" really means: inclusive to the right and the Liberal Democrats; abusive to the left, in this case Plaid Cymru
Many Labour supporters in Wales were appalled by the blatant stitch-up of the Labour leadership. They should be equally concerned by the latest turn in the campaign.
This is no basis on which to campaign for the Assembly, it does nothing to foster the debates needed in Wales or develop policies to answer people’s real concerns – on jobs, education and the health service.
The antics Labour’s leadership have led many people to consider abandoning the Party in disgust. Socialist Outlook supporters believe that this is premature. Now is not the time to turn away from Labour, when the campaign against the right wing leadership is only just beginning.
The events surrounding the leadership contest are only a foretaste of much bigger struggles to come. It is vital that the left is fully involved in these debates and does not hand victory to the right simply by walking away from the Party at this stage.
This is why we call for a Labour vote in these elections – with the idea of giving Labour a clear majority to ensure it can be held accountable for its actions in government.