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Behind the Scenes As Blair Prepares...

Martin J McCluskey | 29.09.2003 16:22 | Analysis | London | World

Behind the scenes as Tony Blair prepares to face the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth tomorrow...

Blair Faces a Disillusioned Public and Party
Blair Faces a Disillusioned Public and Party


This morning heralded the beginning of the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth and the 10th conference with Tony Blair as leader of the party. Tomorrow, in a carefully stage managed performance, Blair will deliver his keynote speech to Labour delegates from across the country; outlining what many think will be the electoral pitch for Labour’s third term as the election bandwagon once again warms up for the coming battle. The Blair we will all see tomorrow is no longer the triumphant Blair of 1994 - toast of the party and soaring upwards in approval ratings – he is more likely to be met by a party who are unsympathetic to the causes that he is now pursuing; namely those of the continuing war in Iraq, tuition fees and the program of NHS and public service reform.

So, where did it all go wrong? Or has it really gone wrong? The current disillusionment of Labour party members and the electorate alike is more likely a product of success and over confidence on the part of the Downing Street ‘machine’ than a sustainable disapproval by the public as a whole. Despite Blair’s personal approval ratings plummeting, recent polling data still suggests that Labour would be elected today with a majority of around 120.

The recent dip in trust for the Prime Minister is the inevitable cumulative effect of a year in which he has been “battered” by public reaction to the war on Iraq and the consequent fallout along with a number of contentious issues suddenly appearing on the Order Paper of the House of Commons such as the controversial reform of university tuition fees and the establishment of foundation hospitals. These issues are hard sell and the Blair the nation will get tomorrow will have to do a lot more work to convince us than the sleek new leader that we witnessed walking to the podium in 1994.

All 6000 words of Tomorrow’s speech will be poured over by political aficionados in an effort to identify the character of Labour’s election campaign. The construction of the piece will be almost as important – if not more so – than Blair’s delivery of it. Over the past week, the PM has been locked in his study at Chequers re-drafting the speech by hand before faxing it back to his team of advisors in London. The team on the other end of the line demonstrate the changing face of the New Labour project. Out is Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell and instead we are presented with a very different team.

One of the key players is Peter Hyman. At only 34 years old, Hyman already has nearly 10 years of experience at Blair’s side and will be sure to be a major player in the construction of the speech. Hyman’s ability for jokes, however, is likely to go under utilised as Blair opts more for Mea Culpa than witty one liners. However, Hyman’s political astuteness is likely to aid Blair on keeping “on message” and delivering the sound bites that have become the de rigeur of New Labour’s relationship with the Downing Street pres corps.

A fresh face to the team and possibly the most telling of a complete ideological shift is Matthew Taylor, former head of the IPPR think tank and a critic of Blair’s recent policies in a recent document penned by a number of influential left wing think tanks including the IPPR. The new view of a relative “outsider” from the old left may mean that the call by many for a more radical swing of the party back to the left wing may be heeded. Nevertheless, Taylor is the man with his finger on the political pulse and his influence not only on Blair’s speech but also on the running of Downing Street as a whole may create a more reflective institution that can look at itself as fallible; not the over confident system of government that had become commonplace in recent years.
Away from the speech and looking forward to the election campaign, Blair’s choices also shed light on this new “New Labour”. With Scottish MP Douglas Alexander appointed as head of the PM’s committee for re-election, Blair has filled the position with that rarest of political animals: a Blairite who is also a close friend of Gordon Brown (Alexander was Brown’s researcher, opposite Anji Hunter at the time when Blair and Brown were sharing an office and the Chancellor is allegedly responsible for not only Douglas Alexander’s rise in the Labour Party but also that of his sister, Wendy, a former senior minister in the Scottish Parliament.) What could this signal for the future? Is it Blair’s way of looking to a time when he can step down in favour of Gordon Brown or is it merely a gesture for the media? Whatever the reason, Alexander is another young star of the Labour government and is, undoubtedly, future leadership material. As the ideas flow from Bournemouth during this week, Alexander will no doubt be there formulating the message of Labour’s next manifesto and the target of the forthcoming campaign.

Ten years on and Blair is on shaky ground; his leadership is at threat from his party and, consequently, his party is at threat from the country. When he steps out onto the platform in under 24 hours time he will need to deliver a speech that not only looks to the future but also contains an admission of his failings. Ultimately, no matter how stage managed the performance, no matter how well crafted the speech, the public must be able to look at him and believe that he can be trusted; that the culture of spin is over and year ten of the Blair leadership can herald a new beginning for the Labour Party and for the country.

MJ

Martin J McCluskey
- e-mail: marvin2k03@hotmail.com

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

LABOUR NEVER BETRAYED THE WORKING CLASS

29.09.2003 20:25

Why waste so much webspace on what is after all a bosses' party? Blair and Brown are singing from the same sheet(shit?). Their New/True Labour values are enshrined, as 'Golden Gordon' pointed out on C4 News today, in the 'New Deal', which promotes 'opportunities for all' and our 'rights and responsibilities' - the right to work and the responsibility of the non- and low-waged to servive the national economy.

It's not such a historical irony that, while the Elizabethan Poor Laws were aimed at 'sturdy beggars', the 'modernised' Elizabethan Poor Laws are 'targetted' at the disabled and lone parents, thus extending opportunities for hard labour. That's Brown's 'fairness'! 'Arbeit macht frei', as Blunkett might say.

Swing


A Response to "Swing"

29.09.2003 23:20

The importance of the "Behind the Scenes" workers cannot be understated. The recent culture of spin has emphasised how characters such as Alistair Campbell can wield so much influence in the corridors of power. A good example: think, for a moment, at how advisors and press secretaries outnumbered politicians at the Hutton Inquiry. To believe that our MPs, ministers or PM is in complete control is simply naieve.

MJ

Martin J McCluskey
mail e-mail: marvin2k03@hotmail.com


A RESPONSE TO A RESPONSE

30.09.2003 08:25

Ultimately, the integrity of 'the corridors of power', the future of the Labour Party and 'the country' can only be of tangential interest - if at all - to those striving to dissolve those institutions which maintain national capital and its oppression and exploitation, 'at home' and abroad. Who cares whether it's Brussels, London or Washington, Blair, Brown or Campbell who are struggling to maintain capitalist order? Know your enemies.

Swing


A Fresh Face

30.09.2003 10:15

MJ notes the arrival of a 'fresh face' to Blair's team, a certain Matthew Taylor, ex-head of the IPPR think-tank. Would this be the same Matthew Taylor who was part of the Southampton Labour Party contingent that swooped on Brambles Farm Peace Camp back in 1983?
Brambles was set up by local activists in a field on the edge of Waterlooville, near Portsmouth, a field earmarked to be the site of a Marconi torpedo factory. At this time, under Kinnock, it was official Labour policy to oppose nuclear weapons, so Taylor and co were to an extent following the party line. Perhaps in some way they felt responsible for the image of the camp, as an extension of party policy. As it was, Taylor set about winding up the anarcho-local hooligan element of the camp by demanding the removal of the black flag from the site caravan and the removal of graffiti on its side, which stated in bold letters 'JOIN THE BANANA CLUB'. At the end of that summer Taylor went off to do a postgraduate degree in Industrial Relations at WARwick University and subsequently became a leading light in the British American Project For The Successor Generation, an Atlanticist think-tank. I wonder if like Tony he's as committed to disarmament as he once was?

Bananaman


Brambles Farm

24.03.2004 23:50

I was one of the "anarcho-hooligans" (I guess - certainly an anarchist but no hooligan). Remember Southampton Labour Party coming along and pretending they set the whole thing up. They were treated with the scorn they deserved! Brambles had been attracting attention at the time - even in the Guardian, so I guess they wanted a piece of the action. We certainly did not remove our black flags. I can't remember anything about bananas. Lots of cider bottles, but no bananas...

Mike Chivers
mail e-mail: mike.chivers@unisonfree.net


BRAMBLES FARM

06.07.2005 20:46

I too was at Brambles Farm, the Caravan just said 'Peace Camp' I lived in it for a while, it was very smelly, we all were. We were young, we are all now 20 years older. I am still an anarchist. Anyone fancy a pint?

Love Dambo XXX

DAMIEN BODEN
mail e-mail: damien.boden@btinternet.com


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