How can Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, possibly regain the electoral initiative in just six months? As avid readers of this blog will know, I have trying to make the case for a different way of formulating the UK national budget.
Here's my latest form of words:
Labour Party action following Scottish referendum – the budgetary challenge
Preamble
The outcome of the Scottish Referendum rejecting independence has inspired debate about devolution of powers from the Westminster Parliament. This resolution suggests a ways Labour Party members and their existing elected representatives can shape a settlement pending resolution of the wider constitutional issues. In particular it aims to address the aspirations of those seeking a fairer, more equal and prosperous society.
Resolution
1. recognises the need to reunite the United Kingdom within a new devolved framework of government
2. considers that current UK national budget making arrangements divisive, top down from Westminster, and, therefore, inconsistent with such devolution
Therefore:
1. calls on the Labour Party leadership to adopt an inclusive approach to UK national budget making to encourage a national sense of purpose while at the same time enabling devolution of powers from the UK government
2. calls on Labour's leadership to invite Labour leaders in Scotland, Wales, London, and throughout local government to join in a new process of preparing revenue and capital budgets for FY 2015/16 and beyond
3. further proposes that these budget plans are coordinated between Labour's elected representatives to highlight issues that will need to be addressed by an incoming Labour chancellor of the exchequer after the General Election
4. opposes rigid adherence to Tory/LibDem spending plans in FY 15/16 as currently proposed by the Labour leadership