The last progressive party in town

Being a young, impressionable sort, I was partly looking forward to a hung Parliament because of a little dream about possible change brought about by Liberal Democrats. It’s a romantic thought of those on the left to see a ‘progressive’ coalition of the left ushering in a brash and unsympathetic agenda for change to once and for all banish the old politics. However, the election results meant that this would not happen. Now Labour members look forward to a leadership election. I hope that it will be an opportunity to throw open the doors and have a thorough clear out. The party has done many good things over the last 13 years, but also many bad things. Labour needs an opportunity to develop a refreshed policy agenda, bring in a new leadership team and deliver a win at the next election. I was relieved that Ed Miliband threw his hat into the ring this morning. I quite like him as a person and in the run up to the last election he showed a real willingness to involve party members in developing the manifesto. You can read his speech on the Fabian Society website here. In the speech he has been honest about the current shape of the Party and portrays an idea of the future that I like. We are living in interesting times politically and despite Labour’s loss last week, I feel stronger about the progressive values of the party now than I ever have. We just need to shed the regressive and illiberal policies of days gone by (i.e. ID cards, detention w/o charge etc). The Labour Party has a strong future ahead.