Manifesto

Friday 30 April 2010

David Miliband - Our candidate for South Shields

The first election campaign I remember was 1974. My Dad took me out to “knock up” the Labour vote in our target seat of Pudsey (we lived near Leeds at the time and the candidate was the aptly named Mr Targett). I can’t remember whether it was February or October 1974 and I can’t remember whether I paid the faintest attention to who won the election (I was nine years old), but in retrospect there were some important lessons: that there is no substitute to local, personal campaigning, and, whatever my disagreements with my Dad, he always knew the best outcome was always a Labour victory.

Anyway, there is a general election on the way. I’ve been doing quite a few days around the country – as well as in other countries – over the last few months. There is a buzz on the Labour circuit. As the election gets closer our answers seem to be sharper and the Tories’ fuzzier and weaker.

But for the election itself – the first really important internet election perhaps – there is no alternative to a campaign blog. If the BBC can have dozens of blogs I’m allowed one too. It will be a bit different from my Foreign Office blog. Not that diplomats (any more) are “sent abroad to lie for their country”. But the constraints of government and diplomacy kept me out of political controversy. This will by definition be partisan, but I hope it is still readable.

It seems to me the Labour Party has three jobs in this campaign. To show how far Britain has come and take on the myth that our country is in decline. Remember wages of £1.50 an hour, winter crises in the NHS, outside loos in primary schools, section 28, declining overseas aid spending? They have all been changed by Labour in government.

We need also to show we have ideas for the future. Whether on the economy, climate change, social care or political reform, today’s challenges demand a government that increases people’s power over their lives and guarantees their security. That speaks directly to the Labour Party’s purpose and one we are uniquely placed to advance in a world that demands policy answers rooted in social justice, mutual responsibility and international cooperation.

And finally we need to show the sham claim that the Tory Party has “changed” for what it is. David Cameron’s claim to have modernised his party is exposed as entirely false when you survey their prospectus of inheritance tax cuts for the super-rich, immediate spending cuts, bringing back fox hunting and an assault on Europe . The change he offers would take Britain backwards.

This is what I will be talking to people about on the doorstep from now until the election. But I cannot visit as many seats as I would like, so I will also be phone banking to make sure Labour’s messages are getting out into communities and homes.

Through this site I hope you will join me. I will let you know where I plan to phone bank in advance and will ask as many of you as possible to phone people in the same constituency. I will blog about the kind of conversations I have had and what I have learnt. It would be great to hear from you too, so log on and post some comments if the mood takes you.

I know this work is being done already and I am not nearly the first. But I hope that this blog can make a small contribution to the work going on up and down the country. Please do also follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Dmiliband.

Campaigning has changed in 36 years, but not the basic choice. Labour or Tory. We’ve got to have a conversation with the electorate that helps them to the right conclusion.


Ed Balls - Our candidate for Morley and Outwood


Ed Balls has been the Labour and Co-op MP for Normanton since 2005 and will be Labour’s candidate for the new Morley and Outwood constituency at the next election. He was appointed Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in June 2007 and was previously Economic Secretary to the Treasury.


Ed was born in 1967 and educated at Nottingham High School; Keble College, Oxford; and the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard.


Prior to his election as an MP, Ed was a teaching fellow in the Department of Economics, Harvard, 1989–90, and an economics leader writer and columnist for the Financial Times, 1990–94.


From 1994 to 1997 Ed was economic adviser to the then shadow chancellor, Gordon Brown MP. He was economic adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1997–99; chief economic adviser to HM Treasury, 1999–2004; and a research fellow at the Smith Institute, 2004–05.


Ed is author of a number of publications on economics and finance and is a member of Unite the Union, Unison and the Co-operative Party.


Ed is married to Yvette Cooper, the MP for Pontefract and Castleford. They have three children – Ellie, Joe and Maddy – and live in Castleford. Outside work his interests include music, cooking and playing football with his children.


Sunday 25 April 2010

Message from Peter Mandelson

Thank you for your response to the memo last week.


Because we are in the fight of our political lives.


We are the underdogs in this fight – always have been.


But, with as much as a third of the electorate still undecided, this election remains wide open. The polls are so volatile because people remain in a state of genuine flux.


So it is time to up the tempo and fight every inch of the way.


That is certainly what Gordon is doing. He has confounded expectations in the TV debates because he has shown his strengths – toughness, resilience, and most crucially, the man with a plan to meet the big challenges the country faces following the global financial crisis.


These challenges require a workhorse at the helm, not a couple of show ponies. It’s no time for novices.


Substance, judgement and leadership will prevail in this election


I sense that the focus is moving from the newness of the TV debates, and the performance commentary that inevitably surrounded them, to one of greater seriousness. Which party has the best policies that are going to make life easier and better? That is the question that undecided voters are asking. And which party can be relied upon to take the decisions that are right for the economy and which ensure fair shares and fair rules for all at a time of belttightening.


I had a strong sense of this happening in the second of the TV debates, and I expect the trend to continue, culminating in the final debate this Thursday focusing on the economy.


For the second week running, Gordon’s performance ratings rose where it matters – substance, judgement, leadership and the experience to lead Britain into the future.


He showed that on both foreign and domestic policy, he is the man who best understands the issues and has what it takes to take Britain forwards.


It is these attributes - leadership, substance, and values – that will determine this election.


This is where our focus will be in the days ahead – on the economy, on public services and on fairness.


The economy rightly remains the most salient issue, and our concentration on this will remain at the core of our campaign.


It is our biggest strength and the Tories’ greatest vulnerability.


The growth figures this week showed that we are on the road to recovery but the road is bumpy.


We cannot afford to take risks. And putting George Osborne in charge of the economy at such an uncertain time looks like the most massive gamble – one that British families just cannot afford to take.


What is at stake are people’s jobs, their mortgages, their businesses, their homes and their living standards. You cannot take a risk with these things and put them in the hands of Cameron-Osborne - a couple of kids in school trousers running around getting every judgement wrong on the recession and now calling it wrong on the recovery.


They want to cut the support for the economy straight away, pulling the rug from under the recovery when it is not yet locked in.


That would put the economy back into intensive care and it will be the general public who will pay the price with their jobs and their living standards. This price would emerge at Osborne’s proposed Emergency Budget 50 days after 6 May. People should know that if they vote Tory in May they will be stung in June.


Fairness matters more when times are tough


With every day that passes in this campaign, the Tories’ paint job is peeling off and we are seeing the real Tory agenda emerging.


They entered this campaign failing to protect funding for schools and police numbers, and with commitments to scrap our guarantees for faster cancer treatment and shorter waiting times.


On Friday, David Cameron repeated his warning to the nations and regions of the UK of the cuts they are planning – whilst in the same breath reaffirming his commitment to an inheritance tax cut of £200,000 each for the 3,000 richest estates.


And this morning we learn that the Tories are planning new stealth charges for nursery places for toddlers. It’s a fresh Tory raid on middle class parents and we should make every parent aware of it before polling day. And that it comes on top of their plans to cut child tax credits, Child Trust Funds and Sure Start for middle income mums.


What kind of priorities are these?


Fairness – fair rules, fair chances and fair shares - matters more when times are tougher.


But the Tories are determined to use the global financial crisis to pivot this country backwards to the bad old Tory days of social division and North-South divide.


This is what awaits the country if the Tories win on 6 May. And that is an outcome made more, not less likely, if people vote Lib Dem in the crucial Labour/Tory marginals and, in so doing, let the Tories back in. Today, in his interviews, Nick Clegg has been making clear his hostility to Labour and his preference to side with the Tories in a coalition if this arises.


That’s why voters who flirt with Nick Clegg are likely to end up married to David Cameron.


Or, in other words, vote Nick and get Dave and George. Not a nice prospect for people with progressive values and who want Britain to move forward and grow together, not apart.


To achieve this, there is only one vote – a vote for Labour.


Thank you


Peter

Message from Douglas Alexander

Over the last week, the election has been blown wide open.

At this week foreign policy debate, Gordon set out our serious approach to the huge global issues we face – as well outlined how we can build a future fair for all at home.

And you can help us get the message out that it is Labour that has the answers. Last Thursday, tens of thousands of Labour supporters used our Debate Dashboard to follow what was going on and let their friends know.

In this word of mouth election, supporters can make a huge difference by letting their friends know the truth behind the other parties’ soundbites.

We’ve made some improvements to the Debate Dashboard over the last week – making easier than ever to share what’s going on through Facebook and Twitter, as well adding an exclusive debate handbook and live updates from our press office during the debate itself.

You can start right now by clicking to watch and share our new party election broadcast – which celebrates Labour's achievements

Each and every Labour supporter can play a role. Together, we’ll make sure that the country understands the Tory risk and the fair future we can build together with Labour.

Thanks

Douglas Alexander

Thursday 22 April 2010

Letter from Gordon Brown to Marc Fortuna


Dear Marcelo Fortuna

I wanted to write to you personally to let you know how pleased I am you have made the decision to join at such important time, and about the important role you can play in winning the election for Labour.

With our member´s support we have already achieved so much — the shortest NHS waiting times since records began, a national minimum wage, more nurses than ever, and two million children helped through Sure Start.

None of this happened by chance. It happened because people of conscience, goodwill and determination made a commitment to come together for a combined purpose. Bringing real change and righting inequalities are the prime reasons that made me decide to join the Labour Party. We are stronger because of your decision to join us.

But we cannot rest on our achievements; we must fight to protect them and to strive to improve upon them. There is no end point for creating a better society, and there is no stage at which we can be happy to sit back assuming we have done all we can.

Labour´s priorities remain the same: securing the recovery including protecting the jobs and homes of ordinary people, protecting frontline services, standing up for the many not the few and investing in new industries. A Tory government would put all of this at risk.

Despite their new words, the Tories still offer the same ideas. By opposing action to give real help to those who need it and instead concentrating on tax breaks for millionaires, they show where their priorities truly lie.

Just like they did in the last recession, the Tories would walk on by, leaving British people to fend for themselves, whilst cutting the public services they rely on.

We have a duty to make sure that the Tories are never able to debase our country again. And you have an important role to play.

You are our strongest advocate with your friends and in your community. You have the opportunity to help Labour win a forth term, to become a community champion, to stand for local or national Government. What you do and how far you go is entirely up to you.

Whichever route you choose to take I know our party is so much stronger with you on our side. We have an awe inspiring responsability resting on our shoulders and I know that we can, and must, continue our work for a better and stronger Britain.

Yours sincerelly,

Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party

Wolverhampton North East votes Emma Reynolds

Emma Reynolds, 32, is Labour’s Parliamentary Candiate for Wolverhampton North East. Originally from Wolverhampton, Emma has worked as a Special Adviser in Downing Street and the House of Commons, set up a small business in Brussells, and also worked in France, Spain, Argentina and Pakistan. Here’s how her campaign’s going so far…

Emma´s Words

The doorstep campaign in Wolverhampton North East is going pretty well so far. There are still a lot of undecided voters, and some turning away from Labour, but a lot of our vote is still sticking with us, and talking to people face-to-face has really helped with this.

So far our main focus really has been door knocking, as it’s the most direct and targeted way of speaking with people, and having real conversations about the big issues for them. We’ve also been sending outdirect mail, and focusing on postal voters too as their ballot papers will soon arrive.

High visibility has been a vital part of my campaign too, and I’ve been out with my team at school gates and visited places of worship including temples and churches to meet with lots of different community groups.

I'm from and live in Wolverhampton, and haven’t stood anywhere before, but really want to help improve people’s lives here, which is my main motivation for standing for Parliament.

The campaign definitely does seem on track so far, and I do support the ground work online by letting people know what’s going on through Facebook and Twitter. But local voters don’t tend to get in touch on either site, so door knocking is very much my priority.

The hardest part of the campaign has been just getting everything done. On top of the usual campaigning,emails are flying in too, so it’s just a case of prioritising things to make sure that I can always respond to questions from constituents.

..........

Visit Emma´s website : http://www.emmareynolds.org.uk


Wednesday 21 April 2010

Message to Labour International from Gordom Brown

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, as a member of Labour International, for all you do for our party. Your support has never been more vital than today.


For in the coming months the British people will vote in one of the most important general election of modern times. We are campaigning not for a forth term Labour government — but for the first Labour government of a new global era. Wherever in the world you live, you will have seen the effects of the global financial crisis, the worst in sixty years, and the global recession that it caused. Countries all over the world took action to stimulate their economies back to growth, and so have we in Britain.


Only the Conservative Party disagreed. Thanks to our action, and to the shared efforts of the British people, repossessions in Britain have been running at around half the rate at which it peaked in the Tory recession of the 1990s; and the rate of job losses has been four times lower.


Today the economy is still recovering, and the big choice this year will be whether to secure growth or choke off recovery. It will be whether to create an age of aspiration, or to condemn Britain to the “age of austerity” that the Tories promise. It will be whether to keep Britain strong internationally, or to leave our country isolated under the Tories.


That is why this year’s election will be so important. And we will fight the campaign as the underdogs against a lavishly funded Conservative Party. Your help, as a member of Labour International, is crucial. If you have compatriots around you who are not registered to vote, please encourage them to do so. You can remind other British voters abroad of the big choice at the coming election. You can also help by telephone canvassing via the virtual phone bank.


Visit: http://labourinternational.net/wordpress/


Friday 2 April 2010

Labour Party through the years

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been regarded as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales since 1920. However, it has only recently begun to organize once more in Northern Ireland. Labour first surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s.


Since then, the party has experienced several spells in government, at first in minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and again from 1929 until 1931. It then became a junior partner in the wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, ultimately forming majority governments under Clement Attlee from 1945 until 1951 and again under Harold Wilson from1964 to 1970. Labour was also in government from 1974 to 1979, first under Wilson and then James Callaghan.


The Labour Party won a majority in the 1997 general election under the leadership of Tony Blair, its first general election victory since October 1974 and the first general election since1970 in which it had exceeded 40% of the popular vote. It has 13 members in the European Parliament. The Labour Party is a member of the Party of European Socialists and the Socialist International. The party's current leader is Prime Minister Gordon Brown.


Thursday 1 April 2010

Tips from Marc Fortuna ( 1 ) - Politicians & Candidates

No one wins the election the day before. The candidate who thinks he is elected a year or six months before, hardly awake in time to rescue his favoritism.

The campaigns are not just to win elections. It´s the time to build the basis of future government policies. Many candidates, confident in their popularity and certain of their victory, do not bother to prepare a government plan.

The candidate is negligent if he/she does not have consistent goals, projects and government program. Populism help to win elections, but rarely lead to sustained government.

There are also those who lose elections by underestimating the enemy or overestimate themselves. Do not start a campaign claiming victory ahead of time, no one is elected before the final counting of votes.

A campaign is a track full of mazes, tricks and traps. It´s not a place for amateurs. They involve money, people´s reputation the fate of the nation. There is everything in a campaign: spies, dossiers, intrigues and vanity.

A campaign is a tripod: content, networks of support and marketing. When you´re sure of your candidacy, form a campaign committee. Only then, listening to your advisers, and especially aware of your financial structure, select your marketing strategy.

The strategy should provide the general tone that will guide the dispute, setting out the key ideas and concepts.

Be careful not to change everything all the time. It takes time to implement the strategy and confirm their accuracy or their error.

Choose well the people who will be part of your team. One requirement is that the team member understands you, has depth knowledge of your political background and respect your opinion. The team member is a kind of guru of campaign. He has the ability to filter all the issues and determine which one is best for the candidate.

Beware of flatterers. Select the team that will work, talk to each member and distributes tasks according to their individual abilities.

Train yourself to speak in public, or through the media, or directly with your constituents in direct encounters. If possible, get advice from a speech therapist to correct diction and inappropriate ways of speaking in public.

The candidate must have the humility to accept criticism, willingness to change and good discipline to avoid making the same mistakes. A poorly worded sentence out of context, can shake the foundations of a campaign.

Gordon Brown's speech on immigration

In a speech in Shoreditch, East London, the Prime Minister outlined that Labour's reforms are controlling immigration – net migration has fallen 30 per cent between 2007 and 2008.


People recognise the positives of migration - economically and socially - but they also want to see fair rules that nobody can duck. Labour’s new Australian-style points-based system means that only those who have the skills to benefit our economy can come here.


Skilled jobs must now be advertised here for four weeks before employers can bring someone in from outside. And as our investment in the training of young people and adult workers raises our local skills levels - the need for skilled migrant workers can be substantially reduced.


While Labour is committed to fair rules to control immigration and benefit the British economy, the Tories' proposed quota system would be arbitrary and bad for business.


Gordon Brown said:


"The system we have introduced gives us the ability to secure the skills we need and to secure our borders against those who are not welcome here".


"And I believe the responsible way to debate migration … is to debate how we can use this system over the coming years to continue to control migration fairly, to reduce the overall need for migration, while continuing to attract the key people who will make the biggest contribution to the growth of our economy."