Labour must stop fighting the cuts

[Hopeless Romantic]

We need to recognise, quickly, that the Labour party is being damaged by the cuts. For the last year the conventional wisdom has been that the cuts would politically damage the Tories and Lib Dems. Massive downturns of popularity would rattle the two parties’ collective nerves. Across the country, activists would be battered by a public baying for their blood.

But it hasn’t happened.

On the contrary, the Tories preformed strongly on May 5. They won seats, with their share of the vote holding up pretty well. Of course, the Lib Dems are different, they were wounded as some of their supporters punished them for breaking pre-election promises. But the uncomfortable truth is that the Labour party is also being badly damaged by the cuts.

How so? Because the Labour party is obsessed with the cuts. It is us, not the Tories, who are being defined by them. We talk about them all the time. We protest against them, predict the horrors that will unfold as their impact is felt and condemn the government for implementing them. We are so completely stuck in the cuts’ headlights, that we are virtually paralysed. And this paralysis is damaging our prospects for the next election.

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http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/05/19/labour-must-stop-fighting-the-cuts/#more-9524

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. I disagree - I think the elections showed that left-of-centre parties have to oppose the cuts

Yes, the Tory vote held up; that's because their supporters are, by and large, accepting or actively in favour of the cuts. But the Lib Dems were slaughtered because they didn't oppose the cuts, and those in government may be said to be actively implementing them. Labour did OK, after being clear that they oppose the cuts. Because left-leaning (and centre?) voters expect their parties to do that.

[LeftishBrit]

2. In other words, Labour should be Tories. Which rather destroys the whole point of their being Labour

Anyone who uses the terms 'workshy' and 'striving' instantly becomes suspect in my view; they reflect an essentially Tory view of the world.

It may be true that they need to do *other things as well*. But it is an essential part of Labour's *job* to fight against cruel and harmful Tory policies.