Since becoming leader of the party last Ed Miliband has not had it easy. I discovered in writing my previous blog that no Labour leader had become Prime Minister after an election defeat which took them out of power. There is, however, no reason why Labour should not win in 2015 (or sooner if the coalition government collapses).
To achieve this victory Labour, to my mind, must take the following course of action. They must stop talking about the deficit. The coalition will always have the upper hand here; Labour's policy of deficit reduction over a slightly longer period is hardly inspiring and simply prolongs the agony. In addition, if by, say 2014, there is real progress towards deficit reduction (the banks back in private hands and so on) then the coalition will reap the benefits. The deficit has to go.
Labour should adjust their focus elsewhere. There are plenty of soft targets where the coalition are vulnerable. Cameron and Clegg talk like liberals, but no one takes them seriously when they introduce policies on fairness and equality. Andrew Neil's 'Posh and Posher' programme should be the starting point for Labour's policy. Tax the rich! Why should low income families pay for the mistakes of rich bankers? Boldness here would pay rich dividends in terms of votes. Similarly, the pay differential between those at the top and those at the bottom is obscene. We must become a more equal society; Labour can champion this aim.
The coalition health reforms are madness and Labour should benefit from easy pickings here.
Labour should also break free from the traditional methods of measuring success. Economic growth is not everything; in this country we work longer than most of our European neighbours. Work-life balance, happiness, contentment, whatever one wishes to call it, might be a fertile ground for Labour to explore. We should work less and the 24/7 economy slowed down a little. Why not seek a working week of say 34 hours? It can be done. I will whisper this idea...reinvent the 'big society' idea as it is inherently socialist...sshhhh!
Finally, in the area of foreign policy Labour must question the wisdom of Britain's role in so called 'peace-keeping' missions. In an age of cut-backs the country cannot afford open ended commitments.
This is my contribution to the debate. My main point is that Labour MUST move away from confronting the coalition on the deficit as that could prove disastrous in 2015.
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