“Our values and principles are more important than ever, precisely because of the scale of threat now faced by liberal democracy,” campbellclaret writes in a guest essay for The Economist
NEW LABOUR, and all who sailed in it, can take some satisfaction from the fact that most politically engaged people of all ages can recall the date when it went from campaign mode to government mode: May 1st 1997. It was an important moment, and is still seen as such. A quarter of a century is a very long time in politics, as Harold Wilson didn’t say.
I have a whole lot more achievements to list when someone shouts “what about Iraq?” It’s a fair question, the invasion and its aftermath forming an important part of the Blair record, but the many acts of progress and advance delivered in the 13 years of New Labour are a good part of the answer. Judge governments in the round.
2. Have a vision, a clearly defined strategy and most importantly have a plan that flows from both. People are less likely to jump ship if it's moving steadily and the destination is clear; people are more likely to join if they see that steady progress too. “New Labour, New Britain” was more than merely the slogan we plastered on conference backdrops and campaign leaflets.
5. Make a virtue of debate and participate actively and enthusiastically in the exchange of ideas. Never stop stress-testing your arguments and your policies. The relentless and often rancorous debate between the major figures in New Labour could be draining, and brutal at times. But, especially in the early years, it led to positions and policies we were better able to defend.
8. The past can be a guide to the future but you'll rarely find solutions to today's problems in yesterday's ideological textbooks. Mr Blair read voraciously about the history of attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland, but he was concerned as much to study what failed and why. He knew that to make progress, discussions must be founded on a new approach and new ideas, albeit rooted in principle and history.
11. Money alone will not deliver improvement to public services. It has to be matched by reform and innovation. This is especially important given the public are largely oblivious to the huge sums talked about in government. Especially when times are tough in their own lives, people become rightly offended when they see waste in government spending.
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