British Labour Party

British social democracy is dying a slow death Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, June 8th 2013   Ed Miliband and Labour have been busy this week making policy announcements, marking out political terrain, and in the eyes of opponents, making unprincipled U-turns. Labour has announced it will not reverse the end of winter fuel payments for wealthy pensioners and child benefit for top rate taxpayers, as well as imposing an overall ‘cap’ on welfare spending for the first three years of a future Labour Government. There are short-term factors at work. Labour are increasingly keen to reposition itself and challenge the

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Can Ed Miliband’s Labour Challenge the Westminster Consensus? Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 27th 2013 Ed Miliband does not have to seek out his troubles and much of it seems to come from his own side rather than from opponents. This week Len McCluskey, head of Unite laid into Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander claiming that if Miliband listened to them, ‘he’ll be defeated’ and ‘cast into the dustbin of history’. Worse, George Galloway endorsed Miliband for PM, just the sort of thing to scare off marginal voters. Labour’s poll ratings are on average 9% ahead of the Tories producing

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Seven Suggestions for Scottish Labour to be the Party of Change Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, April 20th 2013 It seems to be the age of seven questions as Tony Blair once again acts as an uncomfortable sage for Labour and Ed Miliband. With Labour meeting in Inverness this weekend and the party’s Devolution Commission interim report out, it is time for Scottish Labour to assess where it is and what it needs to do to change and to start shaping the political weather. Here then are my seven observations and suggestions for you Johann: 1. Careless Talk Costs Political Lives

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How Ed Miliband’s Labour could change the Face of British Politics Gerry Hassan The Scotsman, September 1st 2012 The state of the Labour Party matters in British politics, with consequences for who will win the next UK election, the dynamic of Scottish politics, and the future of the UK. Ed Miliband has been leader of the Labour Party for coming up for two years next month and for many the jury is still out: ‘Red Ed’ to some, Wallace and Gromit to others. Yet Labour has recovered significantly from its 2010 election defeat when it achieved its second lowest

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