Tonight:
5°c
When you reach your fifties, says the narrator in Martin Amis's new novel, The Pregnant Widow, “there is now an enormous and unsuspected presence within your being, like an undiscovered continent. This is the past.” And that, it occurs to me, is precisely the problem that now besets New Labour. Of course, the adjective “New” — still used with a straight face by Gordon Brown and his colleagues — has long since seemed ridiculous. But there is more to it than that. “New Labour” is now weighed down, like the man in his fifties, by its past. It reeks of yesterday.
Look at Alastair Campbell on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday, as he struggled not to break down in tears. The trigger was Marr's perfectly reasonable question about the Iraq inquiry and whether Tony Blair had misled Parliament over the intelligence on Saddam's WMD. “I've been through a lot on this, Andrew,” said Campbell as he fought to retain his composure.
At that moment, he looked like a man bearing the full burden of decades fighting, as journalist, spin doctor and strategist, to get Labour in office and keep it there; a political pugilist weary to his bones. There was a time when, in his combative, testosterone-charged refusal to accept anything other than total victory for his team, Campbell seemed to personify the future. Yesterday he was evidently almost crushed by the burden of the past. He exuded, so to speak “past-ness”.
In the midst of all the rows about the Conservatives' spending plans and their so-called “Jittery January”, it has been easy to lose sight of the simplicity of the forthcoming general election. Although David Cameron is assumed to be obsessed by Blair's victory in 1997, a much closer model is Bill Clinton's in 1992. In that election, no less than this one, the scale of the deficit was the central issue. “It's the economy, stupid,” was the first part of the Clinton team's so-called “haiku”. The second was: “Don't forget healthcare” (compare the Tories' pledge to increase NHS spending). And the third, and most important, mantra was “Change, or more of the same”. James Carville, Clinton's chief strategist, used to say that he looked at President Bush Sr and could only think of “yesterday, yesterday, yesterday”.
Hack away the foliage of policy argument and Westminster chatter, and the same question lies at the heart of the 2010 election: change, or more of the same. In this respect, the Chilcot inquiry has been of immense help to the Conservatives, not because its hearings have established fresh information, but because it has reminded the public of all the old stuff. The visceral response on seeing Campbell, Blair, Jack Straw, Geoff Hoon et al explaining how it was that they did nothing wrong, honest, sir, has been: what, again?
And — not to put too fine a point on it — so what? Of what possible relevance is all this to the millions of voters who are still suffering because of the recession? It is a bad break for Gordon Brown that he was forced by Nick Clegg to declare that he would testify at the inquiry before the general election. The effect will be to deepen the impression that he, too, is stuck in the past. It is all so 2003.
And it is bad timing for Brown that the Labour MPs charged under the Theft Act over their expenses, Elliot Morley, Jim Devine and David Chaytor, will appear at City of Westminster magistrates court on 11 March. True, an obscure Conservative peer, Lord Hanningfield, will be there, too. But one of Cameron's smartest tactics has been to distance himself swiftly, unequivocally and ruthlessly from all expense fiddling. He perceived that it was not the letter of Parliament's rules that counted, but the public's sense of fairness, and was accordingly much quicker off the mark than Brown to reprimand those on his own side who had self-evidently abused the system. As the PM dithered, Cameron grasped that the unlovely spectacle of MPs with their snouts in the trough was all part of the past and that he, personally, had to align himself with a future of reform and decency.
Winning the argument is not enough in politics. You have to show that you are in harmony with the times, that you are at one with its culture, its mood and its contours. Blair's greatest insight was that modern politics is sequential, not adversarial. There is no longer a pendulum from Left to Right. In post-Cold War politics, one movement follows another, absorbing its lessons and learning from its mistakes. Blair followed Thatcher. Cameron hopes to follow Blair. Brown's greatest failure was his inability to offer the public a coherent post-Blair politics. It is a grim irony for Gordon that, for all the savagery of his feud with Tony and the bitterness of their rivalry, they are seen by the voters as part of the same era, spliced together by history. In his Evening Standard interview earlier this month, Brown revealed that Blair will play a significant role in the campaign. The former PM is indeed a political colossus, conqueror of the Tories in three general elections. But the prospect of the two men reunited, the Tony and Gordon Show back on the road, will surely sharpen the sense that this is a farewell performance, a valedictory lap of the track.
In private, Blair always acknowledged the problem with making novelty your claim to office: namely that it was an inherently transient claim, containing the seeds of its own obsolescence. Now Amis's “enormous and unsuspected presence” has caught up with New Labour. Another generation prepares to take the helm, snatching its years at the top before the day, years hence, when it, too, will crumble under the weight of its past.
Reader views (13)
Campbell is starting to realise that for him the best is over. After the next election no longer will he be called upon for the odd appearance or article to write. His old contacts will be in the dole queue and he will be getting up earlier and earlier each morning not knowing the reason why. The phone will ring less often. There will be less e-mails, Facebooks, and Twitter comments. It will be so quiet and sad. The higher the ladder climbed the harder the fall down. What about a bit of fishing Alistair? Sitting by the Thames staring at your sad reflection in the water and wondering why the fish do not bite, and whether you could have done better? Too late. Yu have had your day.
- Albert Hall, hove england, 13/02/2010 20:46
Report abuse
Brown only knows the past and couldn't appreciate now or the future if a headline as tall as Canary Wharf was blocking his path.
He may be a decent fellow off screen an in private but to teh British economy and the United Kingdom he has been pulling the strings to a tune that died 40 years ago. Even Russia wan't nothing to do with his stalinist economic approach.
Brown and Campbell see a love of the past labour failures as ideals to revive. They are blind and deaf to economic and political reality and together with Mandleson and B.Liar have spun this once great country into a tail spin of pending disaster and have the gall to still say, wasn't me guv!
This paper must repeatedly remind the UK how the B.Liar/Brown legacy will leave UK plc broker, and in debt for years. But will they care with their lecture circuits, protected pensions and consultancies? Of course not.
This labour government has shown Animal Farm at its worst and George Orwell was so very right.
Redistribution of wealth? only into fewer hands, education, education, education.....joke, Child poverty and the gap between rich and poor worse than ever and what does Harriet Harperson say: it could have been worse, possibly only by Labour.
They are evil personified and I hope every paper exposed them for what they really are during the pending election and the electorate boot them outfor at least 5 generations.
- Robert Marshall, LONDON, 09/02/2010 17:24
Report abuse
"I am going with Labour. At least they know how to manage a recession".
Absolutement Mes amis. Labour know how to manage a recession, especially if they helped to create it in the first place. Memories of Brown's time as Chancellor of the Exchequor (or is that Chancer?) seem to fade rapidly.
Labour are doomned to repeat the curse of all Labour administrations - "Tax and Spend". Tax to the hilt and spend other people's money like drunks on a Pub crawl.
Mrs Thatcher was correct when she said - "All Labour governments run out of other peoples money!"
- Uncle Vanya, East Anglia Land that Boudicca Ruled (Now Part of the EU-SSR-Land), 09/02/2010 16:37
Report abuse
Happily, journalists are an exception to the normal rule. They are always fresh and forward-looking, as a trip any day of the week to El Vino in New Bridge Street will testify.
- Walter Ellis, New York, USA, 08/02/2010 23:32
Report abuse
It is a dire choice indeed.
A party that has been governing for twelve years, that is only just beginning to stagnate under the weight of its own hypocrisy. The ills of triagulation!..Or..a party that is internally divided, confused, incoherent and borrows failed policies from unpopular European governments. Having said that, I feel that I have already been too soft on the Tories where I suggest that they have anything close to discrete policies to offer us. Personally? After Davos and the new economic consensus, I am going with Labour. At least they know how to manage a recession.
- Luke Bills, Reigate, Surrey, 08/02/2010 18:08
Report abuse
So the chief spin doctor and Gordon Brown both manage
to have a cry on national TV at the same time, Gordons Boo Hoo Hoo is currently being advertised.
Excuse me for being cynical but could there be a general election in the very near future.
Spare me the caring parent bit, Gord and Al would never appear on TV without the ground rules sorted BEFORE THEY APPEARED.
- Steve M, London, 08/02/2010 18:04
Report abuse
Acutely observed, Matthew. Saw him myself and he looked like he was representing yesterday's story. In fact, the more I hear that he and TB intend to help the clunking fist with his election campaign, the more excited I become. They serve as a poignant reminder of what a bunch of fakes they always were.
Just like Ken Livingstone picked completely the wrong issue on which to campaign in the Mayoral election (£25 charging for gas guzzlers) so newlabour will be a reminder of everything we want to get rid of.
- Robin, London, 08/02/2010 15:08
Report abuse
Acutely observed, Matthew. Saw him myself and he looked like he was representing yesterday's story. In fact, the more I hear that he and TB intend to help the clunking fist with his election campaign, the more excited I become. They serve as a poignant reminder of what a bunch of fakes they always were.
Just like Ken Livingstone picked completely the wrong issue on which to campaign in the Mayoral election (£25 charging for gas guzzlers) so newlabour will be a reminder of everything we want to get rid of.
- Robin, London, 08/02/2010 15:07
Report abuse
The reported Prime Time TV show with Mr Brown and his wife being sad in public is very tragic indeed. No parent should be in this position, and we can the deepest sympathy for them. No doubt Mr Brown is a wonderful husband to his wife, and Dad to his children.
However for those who are a tad cynical about politicians and their motives, this being only weeks away from a General Election, are probably right to suspect it is just a ploy to 'Love The Dear Leader' a bit more.
The same for Alistair Campbell blubing on Prime TV as well. Both interviews have the hall marks of political opportunism. So if one sounds cynical, there are good reasons for doing so.
- Uncle Vanya, East Anglia England UK now part of EU-SSR-Land, 08/02/2010 14:53
Report abuse
I think we've all had enough. i agree with the article. I think in reality a much smaller minority than the polls suggest have made up their minds. They aren't berserk on Cameron but they will not vote for another 5 years of old/new/old - call it what you will; Labour. Its like going back to a restaurant where you had food poisoning and a friend telling you they've always had great food there. Buying the same brand of car that let you down badly last time etc etc. Most of us don't do it and won't be going back for some time yet.
- David S., Burgess Hill UK, 08/02/2010 14:35
Report abuse
I like the phrase 'the lost continent' to denote the past, but as I am a lot less arty and bright than Messrs Amis or d'Ancona, let me just say that what goes round comes around.
Wasn't Alastair Campbell the chap who ridiculed the last Tory Prime Minister John Major by painting him as the man who wore his shirt tucked up inside his pants?
It was a clever caricature which seemed to confirm the image of a weak PM.
Well, who's pilloried now?
Funny Old World as another ex PM once said...
- Maggie, Crouch End, 08/02/2010 14:11
Report abuse
It might be the case that politics is indeed sequential. That said, the Tories remind me of the last century rather than yesterday.
- Sk, London,UK, 08/02/2010 13:18
Report abuse
The Labour party can be likened to an old car that the right wing chancers of Nulabour,tarted up,covered the rust,and gave it a respray.
They rode to power in it,but,like all old bangers,it was going to fall apart one day,and spill them out onto the politcal hard shoulder.
- Jimfred, Redhill,Surrey, 08/02/2010 12:53
Report abuse
