The Future of the Labour Party?

The Labour Party has been the most significant challenger to the Conservative Party since their first election victory in 1929 and the demise and split of the Liberal Party. It had shaky administrations under J. R. MacDonald and eventually had to form a 'National Government' committed to deep spending cuts under the leadership of Conservative, Stanley Baldwin in the 1930s. They formed their first major and successful government in 1945. It was a new age. Industries were nationalised, thousands of homes built, an Olympic Games was held in London in 1948 but the big achievement was universal healthcare. Labour for its time was a successful Keynsian Party.

The National Health Service became the baby of the Labour Party. Labour's commitment to it, like a parent smothering it in cotton wool, has resulted in the lack of reorganisation and reform over a fifty year period. Whilst this has done many electoral favours for Labour, it can't use it alone if it wants to win back Downing Street.

The Party itself is actually the least successful in a historical context. The Conservative Party has it's origins in the 17th and 18th Centuries as did what became the Liberal Party. Labour, de facto, formed around 1900 and only entered government mostly through Coalition until 1945. Since then, it has only won elections in: 1964, 1966, 1974, 1997, 2001 and 2005. That covers the administrations of Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown- two were unelected. The way Labour is heading now and with changing constitutional circumstances, the Party is set to be out of power for perhaps a generation.

Ed Miliband's speech today was cosy, comfortable, uninspiring and barely revolutionary. It's the usual spiel that shows that Mr Miliband doesn't know his history. In the 1980s, Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock both did not understand that socialism was a failed experiment and even their working class voter base wanted to see tough law and order, an economic arena to aspire and a bit of patriotic fervour from their politicians. I'm sure Ed Miliband is a genuine guy but what exists of his policies do not address the nations problems. You could see that he wasn't pleasing the much more hard left of Labour and the Unions and also not those that want to see a Blairite leading the Party at today's conference. He was simply the wrong choice to lead Labour in the political age we are now living in.

Another problem for Labour has been highlighted by the recent constitutional issues brought about by the Scottish rejection of independence and the rise of 'English votes for English Issues'. Ed Miliband clearly knows that Labour has struggled to form a majority in England only and has instead relied on Scottish and Welsh voters to send Labour MPs to Westminster. He will try his best to halt the issue but will eventually have to concede to the will of the English. This is now a problem as David Cameron, many Tories and UKIP are seeking to remove the rights of certainly Scottish MPs to vote on issues which effect England only. As recently as 2005, Labour has failed to get a majority of the vote in England so you can see the problem the Party faces in the future, unless it takes a new direction in terms of leadership and policy. Maybe even that is not enough.

David Cameron and the Conservative Party is now certain for victory in May 2015. The fact a Tory Prime Minister in power still didn't tip the Scots towards independence and the recovery of the economy is a testament to his leadership. Labour on the other hand needs to start looking for a new leader with haste.