Whenever anyone criticises New Labour's record in office, the same deflective boasts are made about Sure Start, Minimum Wage, Working Tax Credits, NHS, Human Rights Act.
Fine. But let's look at some other policies of the New Labour era.
Fine. But let's look at some other policies of the New Labour era.
After spending the previous year criticising the Tories for planning to do the same thing:
theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=19…
theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=19…
Privatised disability benefit assessments - outsourcing them to Sema:
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cm…
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cm…
Aiming to deprive 1 million disabled people of social security benefits:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
Introducing a harsher assessment model for disability benefits:
benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/1207-even…
benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/1207-even…
Which paved the way for the later horrors of Atos, under the Conservatives/Lib Dems:
theguardian.com/society/2015/a…
theguardian.com/society/2015/a…
These assessments were causing the same needless miseries under New Labour:
theguardian.com/society/joepub…
theguardian.com/society/joepub…
Introducing workfare - openly advocating forced labour, in Frank Field's case:
theguardian.com/politics/2009/…
theguardian.com/politics/2009/…
Created the political framework which was exploited by the Coalition government to justify persecuting benefit claimants:
ft.com/content/c44729…
ft.com/content/c44729…
Boasted about retaining the most restrictive anti-Union laws in the Western world:
independent.co.uk/voices/leading…
independent.co.uk/voices/leading…
Introduced the minimum wage, sure - but blocked employment rights for temporary and agency workers:
theguardian.com/politics/2007/…
theguardian.com/politics/2007/…
Fitzpatrick voted for Boris Johson's EU withdrawal agreement in October 2019, incidentally - the one which resulted in Labour being wiped out; before stepping down from Parliament:
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
Overseeing the collapse of Britain's social housing programme - they were worse than Thatcher:
fullfact.org/economy/who-bu…
fullfact.org/economy/who-bu…
Engaging in anti migrant politics - while criticising the Tories for the same thing:
theguardian.com/politics/2005/…
theguardian.com/politics/2005/…
Selling weaponry to Indonesia's government, when it was committing acts of genocide in East Timor:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi…
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi…
Blair personally blocking an inquiry into the corruption scandal of BAE arms sales to Saudi Arabia:
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
All of this is something to bear in mind, when anyone boasts about New Labour introducing the Human Rights Act.
Introducing ASBOs, which resulted in people being prosecuted, when they had not committed criminal offences:
theguardian.com/society/2010/j…
theguardian.com/society/2010/j…
Choosing not to reintroduce effective regulation to City of London banks.
theguardian.com/business/2011/…
theguardian.com/business/2011/…
Ignored warnings about the impending financial crisis, only to watch the banking sector collapse, causing Labour to lose office.
An early outing for the phrase "strong and stable", incidentally:
theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=20…
An early outing for the phrase "strong and stable", incidentally:
theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=20…
Miliband's Labour were no better.
Abstaining when the Tories rewrote the law, to absolve themselves after fraudulently tricking workfare participants into being sanctioned:
theguardian.com/politics/2013/…
Abstaining when the Tories rewrote the law, to absolve themselves after fraudulently tricking workfare participants into being sanctioned:
theguardian.com/politics/2013/…
Abstaining on the anti-migrant bill which resulted in Windrush citizens being deported - and dying, in some cases:
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Supporting the benefit cap, even though they knew it was a con-trick:
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
It still didn't stop Miliband being derided as too left-wing, by none other:
huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/11/ton…
huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/11/ton…
New Labour helped lay the groundwork for Brexit.
Even during the EU referendum, New Labour stalwarts were still promoting the anti-migrant politics, which galvanised Vote Leave:
thesun.co.uk/archives/polit…
Even during the EU referendum, New Labour stalwarts were still promoting the anti-migrant politics, which galvanised Vote Leave:
thesun.co.uk/archives/polit…
None of this is compensated for by saying 'but Tony Blair won three elections'.
It's the equivalent of saying England won the world cup in 1966, so if we place the surviving players in the current team, we'll win the next world cup.
It's the equivalent of saying England won the world cup in 1966, so if we place the surviving players in the current team, we'll win the next world cup.
Blair succeeded by lying to people, and ensuring that the government would serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful. Which is why he had their backing.
That's what he is. It's what he continues to do.
theguardian.com/politics/2014/…
That's what he is. It's what he continues to do.
theguardian.com/politics/2014/…
You may personally have done well out of the New Labour years. Many people did not. Many of them suffered disastrously. Some didn't survive.
Maybe if commentators were more honest about all of this, current debate would be less fractious.
