UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Thursday 3 June 2010

Mandy's World‏

Today’s Times has an extended advert by Peter Mandelson for his new book under the headline ‘New Labour is dead, long live New labour.’ Its 1000 words is a repetition of ‘me, me, me, me’ and ‘by the way I was right all along.’
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7142936.ece

Most on the left have long questioned whether Mandy had any socialist principles and this article confirms that his only consideration is power in itself – not the use of power for the ends of ensuring greater equality of wealth and the distribution of power.

This after all is a man who tells us that Labour should be intensely relaxed about the filthy super rich. Peter wants a Labour Party based on ‘conscience and reform’ – possibly the most meaningless contribution to the leadership debate so far. Obviously Mandy has still not realised that the Labour party should be a crusade for social justice or it is nothing.

The fact is that New Labour stood for the betrayal of working class communities. If the party is to be once again electable it must re-engage with those communities on the basis of their collective interests and needs rather than ignoring them.