A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
Seems like another era, but back in the summer I attended some interesting Progress seminars about the role of the state, and wrote an article about the flawed governance arrangements for Foundation hospitals. This has now been published as a chapter in their new pamphlet published today.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 4:46 pm
Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Supporter of Europe, NATO/nuclear deterrence, Israel, electoral reform. Guardian reader. Dad. Oxford resident. Unite union member. Employment history as a Labour Party Organiser, Local Government Political Assistant, Director at a Public Affairs company. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
9 Comments:
I read Nick Clegg's conference speech described as a bad David Cameron tribute act oh did I laugh. Luke may I suggest you defect to the LibDems you'd be leader in five years
7:28 pm, September 18, 2008
Compass [...] their radical anti-capitalist credentials [...]
Very far from it. Compass's suspicion of private economic activity - not to mention economics as a whole - just makes them woolly social democrats, not anti-capitalists.
8:23 pm, September 18, 2008
Lets get one thing very clear, Brown wasn't an elected PM...he put himself there. Given the choice the people of this country have said very clearly they wouldn't vote for Labour if Brown was PM.
So if Brown is so confident about his chances lets have an election and let Great Britain decide.
9:06 pm, September 18, 2008
The PM was elected. We live in a parialmentary democracy.
9:08 pm, September 18, 2008
Well lets just hope Brown loses his seat then not only will we get rid of this dreadful government but also put Gordon out of work.
9:59 pm, September 18, 2008
Nick Clegg did well on the newsnight focus group. Nick Clegg is the new superhero.
11:16 pm, September 18, 2008
Nick Clegg is a supersandal
12:02 am, September 19, 2008
Hi Luke, I thought your article on foundation trusts is very good. How can we encourage citizens to join political parties when increasing areas of the public sphere discriminate against their membership? I think you have a good point about 'society's joiners'.
The good news is that we aren't making those mistakes on the consultation for an NHS constitution. I spoke to my mother last night. She is retired and is by no means a middle class 'joiner', but has been invited at random by the NHS to take part in a local meeting and put forward her thoughts and ideas.
My mum was utterly thrilled to have been invited and pleased that the consideration was there to pay her full travel expenses to help her take part. That's more of the approach we need to take.
On the anti-windfall tax article I disagree with a number of your points, but I'm a Compass management committee member so there you go.
Weren't you in any way uncomfortable by the comments made by a senior manager at E.On last week? During an Ofgem seminar Mr Owen-Lloyd admitted a spike in gas prices would mean 'more money for us'.
Any feeling that Compass is lurching an anti-capitalist direction is well wide of the mark. But that doesn't mean the centre-left shouldn't dispassionately observe and critique the energy industry or any other segment of our economy. Especially when the issue is fuel poverty and the lives of many pensioners could be at stake this winter.
10:18 am, September 19, 2008
I've written a response to your Progress article here.
1:00 pm, September 19, 2008
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