Jon Cruddas does not alone speak for the Labour left. But the Dagenham MP is one of the few party figures prepared to spell out an alternative vision to the usual “managerial” style of New Labour.
At a Compass speech tonight he’ll lay out a list of policies which – he believes – could revive momentum within the party.
Some of it may sound radical (scrapping Trident and tuition fees and doing more to prevent grotesque pay in the private sector…and what does he mean by a new “windfall tax”?). There is much here which is likely to play well in the Compass “leftie” heartland. Interestingly, you might also argue there’s little in there that wouldn’t also appeal to the aspirant working classes which are increasingly tired of Labour.
I’d want to know the cost of number 3, however. Does Cruddas?
1 – establishment of a High Pay Commission;
2 - greater tax justice, including closing tax havens and more equal distribution of income and wealth;
3 - index link benefit levels, pensions and the minimum wage to average incomes;
4 – replacing tuition fees with a graduate solidarity tax;
5 - a Fair Employment Clause in all public contracts;
6 – windfall and transaction taxes and resetting capital gains tax;
7 - a new covenant with the military, including more investment in mental healthcare, equipment, housing and support for veterans funded by scrapping plans to renew Trident and re-deploying the money saved within the Minister Of Defence budget;
8 – a Green Neal Deal*, to include scrapping the third runway at Heathrow;
9 – remutualisation of the finance sector;
10 - a credit card bill of rights for consumers.
* Apparently this is not a reference to Neal Lawson, head of Compass, but in fact a typo
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey
