The thoroughly degenerate nature of Blue Labour is made clear in this interview given by Lucy Powell to Lewis Goodall on LBC. In it, she tries to claim that the austerity measures they are undertaking are not austerity - simply Orwellian Doublespeak. She claims that the austerity that Osborn undertook, on the basis of the lie, facilitated by the note left by Liam Byrne, that there was no money, was a political decision. But, somehow, the same lie that there is no money, now being perpetrated by Reeves, as the basis of their own austerity, is somehow not a political decision!
But, as Professor David Blanchflower, has noted, after recanting from his earlier signing of a letter of economists backing Blue Labour, the austerity measures being undertaken by Starmer and Reeves are identical to those of Osborn, and born of the same ideological conviction, in the power of the free market, and of the individual. In fact, as I've pointed out before, the position of Starmer and Reeves is worse than that of Osborn and Cameron.
Osborn and Cameron, in 2010, were conservative social-democrats (neoliberals) in a party dominated at its base, and dependent on the votes of a reactionary, nationalist, petty-bourgeoisie, whose ideology is not neoliberalism, but classical liberalism. Cameron and Osborn had to placate that reactionary petty-bourgeoisie, and saw, in the US, the need to mobilise that core vote. That is why they went from a position of saying in 2008/9 that they would match Labour's spending plans, to in 2009/10, turning in the opposite direction. Part of the reason for that was that, initially, they didn't expect to win the election, and, of course, they didn't, only getting into government with the help of Clegg's Liberals.
But, Starmer's Blue Labour stands in an almost diametrically opposite position. Its core membership and vote, is that of the organised working-class and professional middle-class. It has no need to placate and reactionary, petty-bourgeois base, and its decision to do so, be it over its commitment to Brexit, to its gut-wrenching jingoism, or its adoption of classical Liberal economic policy, is entirely of its own political choice! In the above interview Powell talks about having to stick with the cap on Child Benefits, to cut Pensioners Winter Fuel Allowance and so on, in the same kinds of terms that they and others of their political persuasion talk about the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, as though it was some natural disaster, out of their hands, and something that can only be commiserated with.
But, of course, the tragedy in Gaza is not a natural disaster but one inflicted by the Zionist state in Israel, which is implementing the logic of its own founding Zionist ideology, and in which it is supported, not only ideologically, but in terms of weapons and other practical support, by the governments in the US, Britain and EU. Powell, Reeves and Starmer talk as though they did not know about the £22 billion gap in the budget, but as Blanchflower says, they should have read all the documents, then, before the election, because the IFS knew, I wrote about it before the election, I raised it with the local Blue Labour candidate, and so on. Either they are lazy, and incompetent, or they are simply lying about not knowing, or both.
As I have set out before, I have my own disagreements with the Left Keynesian analysis and prescriptions of the likes of Blanchflower and Richard Murphy, but, in this criticism of the dishonest approach of Blue Labour, they are absolutely correct. The decision to cut, to implement Tory austerity, is a political choice, rather than a choice to raise taxes to bridge that gap. As I have set out, before the election, there are, of course, limits to that, limits themselves made worse by Blue Labour's commitment to Brexit. But, again, continuing with Brexit is their political choice, not some natural disaster being daily inflicted on the economy.
Unlike the Tories, Labour's core vote would be highly delighted if tomorrow they reversed it, as, indeed, would the majority of the electorate, as polls repeatedly show. So, why is Starmer and Blue Labour continuing with its political choice to continue with Brexit, which is severely damaging the economy, undermining its own economic solutions, and which is opposed by a clear majority of the electorate, and vast majority of Labour voters? Some other reason for doing so is behind that, which I am increasingly led to believe, is about a longer-term plan to destroy the Labour Party itself, and its links to the Labour movement, from within, and to create the basis for a new, centre-right, European-style, and pro-EU, party.
Of course, in Powell's interview, there is also the apologism for the other decadence, and petty-bourgeosification, of Blue Labour, in relation to the revelations about its new MP, for Ilford South, Jas Athwal. He owns and rents out 15 residential properties, and 3 commercial properties. Making him the largest private landlord in parliament, exceeding any even on the Tory benches. But, it is has also been revealed that these properties were ant-infested, and suffering from deadly black mould!
Athwal claimed to be unaware of the problem having let them via an agent. But, of course, that is no excuse, for a good landlord, because they should be ensuring, for themselves the condition of their properties, and the satisfaction of their tenants. According to half the tenants, they were also threatened with eviction if they complained, and the Guardian reports that although the Council, of which Athwal was previously the Leader, requires landlords to have a licence for their properties, no such licence existed.
All of these are contrary to the kind of behaviour Blue Labour claims it wants to promote in its Tenants Rights legislation, and yet, here we have one of its new candidates, who should have been closely vetted, being found to be the biggest private landlord in parliament, and being in breach of them. Imagine if that was either a Tory MP, or a Corbynite MP, the Blue Labour enforcers would be demanding their immediate suspension. But, what was Powell's response? Oh he was shocked, at the news, and has acted immediately! Well, clearly he didn't act immediately to the problem itself, only immediately to the story having put him in the headlines!
In fact, Blue Labour now has the largest number of private landlords in parliament, exceeding the Tories. Forty-four Blue Labour MP's are private landlords, and we await further such revelations about the condition of their rental properties, and treatment of tenants. That 44 Blue Labour MP's constitutes 11% of the PLP. It is nearly double the number of Tory MP's who are private landlords, on 28. Blue Labour doubled its representation of landlordism in parliament, despite less than doubling its number of MP's. So, not surprisingly, it is Blue Labour that also accounts for 3 of the top 5 private landlords in parliament. Besides Athwal, there is also, Gurinder Josan, MP for Smethwick, who owns and rents 8 properties, and Bayo Alaba, MP for Southend East, who owns and rents out 7 properties.
All of this comes on top of the return to government of disgraced former Labour Minister, Jacqui Smith, and the return of the familiar Labour cash for access and privileges of former times. All of which I predicted before the election, saying that the sleaze of this Blue Labour government would soon eclipse that of the outgoing Tories.
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