Peter Kenyon

Hayden Phillips admits defeat - surprise, surprise

Just back from an evening out to discover that taxpayers have been spared the prospect of lavishing more cash on the political class. Former civil servant Sir Hayden Phillips today announced that the inter-party talks on political part funding have been 'suspended'. Iain Dale blames Labour for refusing to cap trade union donation. Unlock Democracy has got into an extraordinary lather here. Considered comment I would humbly suggest involves remembering the provenence of Hayden Phillips Inquiry. I can recommend this piece here.  The main losers are the Liberal Democrats.

The end of these talks offers Gordon Brown another opportunity to distance himself from the stench of his predecessor's cash for honours affair, tighten up on MPs expenses for 'communication' and set out a bold plan to encourage people to join political parties, by setting out the stall for Labour.  Plus of course, we mustn't forget that legislation is still necessary to set tough spending limits on elections. The public really isn't interested in being showered with junk mail, bombarded with telephone cold-calling or confronted with billboard wars. It expects politicians to deliver preferably in person, not through a mail shot. Roll on the Queen's speech next week.

Compass direction on Labour Party organisation?

There is a puzzling omission from the latest statement from the so-called centre left pressure group and think-tank, Compass, and that concerns Labour Party organisation. The ideological case for Labour dropping neo-liberalism is set out by the two Jons - Cruddas and Trickett here. The closest they get to admitting an organisational dimension is buried in the middle of their article:

The progressive element was the idea that the centre-left must be fuelled by a different vision of society where people take control of their lives. This requires two things: first, that society becomes more equal, because people need more fairly distributed resources to achieve that freedom; second, people have to possess the means to act collectively.

That's where the vexed issue of organisation comes in. That's why renewed effort to Save the Labour Party as a solvent, mass-membership, democratically run mainstream political party is needed from within.

Prorogation Tuesday: time to see Sicko - it's a must

With a week's break in prospect before the Queen opens the next session of Parliament, Sarah Brown is planning to should sneak hubby off to the cinema to see Sicko - the latest Michael Moore film. What better way of reminding our nearest and dearest of why we have a National Health Service and NB why it's time to stop lining the pockets of US HMO executives?

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: "A devastating, convincing, and very entertaining documentary."

Political education for a nation, I'd say. h/t Aneurin Bevan

Is Brown an ace multi-tasker or doomed to thrashing?

A stark question looms for Labour's new Prime Minister this week. Is he capable of fulfilling the role of Prime Minister and Labour Party leader - leading the country and carrying the electorate with him as well as rebuilding Labour as a solvent, mass membership, democractically run mainstream political party? That would be truly exceptional multitasking. Or will he suffer what the techies call 'thrashing' as defined here? Britain's recent political history....

It's not too late to clean up British politics

This week is expected to see the back of the Hayden Phillips Inquiry - a shameful adventure by Labour's previous leader in the wake of the Cash for Honours scandal. Last week saw the Public Administration Committee interviewing Yates of the Yard. It gives me no pleasure to pick up on Simon Jenkin's piece in today's Sunday Times here. He concludes:

If Brown really wants to import into public life the ethics of Calvin and Knox, he has an uphill road ahead of him. He talks liberal on constitutional change yet he shirks the detail, such as Lords reform, party financing, cleansing the honours system and ending the MPs’ expenses racket.

I don't think its too late for Brown to pick up the detail and confound his critics.

Jenkins, however, has a different view:

The reason, it has become increasingly clear, is that Britain’s new prime minister is all mouth and no muscle.

Your call, Gordon.

Can Labour rebuild itself despite its new Leader?

Martin Kettle writing in today's Guardian in a piece headlined Why is Gordon Brown so reluctant to be a liberal? concludes:

Ours is, in the end and in spite of all, the liberal country Brown identifies. It requires liberal solutions to its problems. If Brown steps forward across the threshold and offers the solutions implied in his implicitly liberal analysis, he may become master of the future. If he doesn't he may freeze on the doorstep. And in that case the rebuilding of liberal Britain will fall not to Labour but to its rival parties, who currently seem more comfortable and better equipped for what lies ahead if Labour falters.

Yeah, yeah you might think what else is going to be served up for the Guardianistas? Well on this occasion, mock not. There is a question for every remaining member of the much diminished Labour Party. Can we rebuild ourselves despite our new Leader's reluctance? In that spirit representatives of two organisations committed to strong local Labour Parties Save the Labour Party and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy are meeting today to discuss the 2008 National Executive Committee elections. A platform is required that will enable our new Leader to cross the liberal threshold - or as we prefer to say promote Labour values and encourage the rebuilding of a mass-membership party.

European socialist awakening, and hey Italy - wow!

With the European Parliamentary Elections barely 18 months away it's not too early to be thinking about the PES manifesto. Indeed a website has been created here to enable us all to do just that.

While I have managed to lift my eyes from the British agenda, have you read Denis MacShane's piece on the Italian left in the latest issue of Tribune?  Three million, yes, three million Italians have just voted to elect the first leader of a new Party fusing all the non-Conservative parties in the country except the Trots.

Labour under Brown - radical but reticent

Here's an eye-opener for a Thursday morning while you are wiping the sleep from your eyes - read Steve Richards in today's Independent on Education reform.

Does Brown vision extend to Members' Rights?

If Gordon Brown really wants to restore public confidence in party politics through constitutional reform, wouldn't he be more credible if he practised what he preached in the Labour Party, which he leads?

A Bill of Rights may be a good idea to add to the debate about UK constitutional reform as reported in today's Guardian. But he has had a comprehensive set of ideas for Labour Party reform including a Charter for Members' Rights on his desk since the polls closed on 3 May 2007. The LabOUR Commission Interim report can be found here.

Opportunity knocks, Gordon.

Renewable vision - go with the flow Gordon

Newsnight went to town on renewables last night, while I was down the pub after Cities of London and Westminster CLP's General Committee.  Hat tip to zerochampion.  No one should doubt the difficulties of achieving the targets. But if Gordon wants to appear visionary as Labour Party leader, he is going to need to get up to speed on just how much electoral support there is for clean renewables, and put the resources of the state behind the technologies to achieve tough EU renewable targets. That will include exploring tidal lagoons as recommended by the Sustainable Development Commission.