Evaluate The View That The Current Labour Party Is Closer To Old Labour Than It Is To New Lab Flashcards
(4 cards)
Has new labour abandoned old labour? Intro
Lab party was originally formed to represent the working class and trade unions, focussing on the socialist values of wealth re-distribution, nationalism and strong trade union influence. However, under Blair’s third way, the lab party had shifted to a more centrist party, focussing on ‘minimal intervention’ and ‘equality of opportunity’ to appeal to a broader electorate. The Labour Party has to some extent shifted to new lab policies in their economic, law order and foreign policy, but it would be reductive and naive to argue that they have completely abandoned their socialist history. Instead, new labour is more pragmatic, evolutionary and more electorally viable than foot’s ideological rigidity that contributed to the lab 1983 electoral disaster
Law and order
To a limited extent
Starmer was not lax on crime and supported rehabilitation programs
Old lab = more sympathetic to the causes of crime - socioeconomic status
Weak argument bc fundamental shift in the increase of police forces. Blair’s tough on crime.
13,000 more neighbourhood police
£6 b cut to social welfare inorder to encourage people to go to work- Neo-lib welfare and neo-con order for hand up not hand out, reduced state reliance and dependency
Overall, the stronger argument is that lab party is more new labour as they are more centrist in their law and order by incorporating elements of Thatcherism to appeal to a broader electorate, like people with properties who would want a stronger law and order to protect their properties. This means that labour has distanced itself from solely representing the working class or trade unions by reducing state benefits- ‘hand up’
Economic policicy
Nationalisation in starmer’s 2024 Passenger Railway Service Act to nationalise all public transport network, mirrors old lab’s nationalisation of key industries, which is the trademark of old labour’s values under Foot or what Corbyn would subscribe to.
Most fundamental shift
Differ markedly
Old lab = Keynesian for wealth redistribution vs new lab =free market cap. Again, supporting the broader electorate like business people and white collared classes like the AB, not just the trade unions and lower classes. Seen in Blaine’s rewriting of clause iv , minimal state intervention in businesses to generate economic growth and GDP.
Capitalist privatisation. Starmer even enabled private providers to help deliver public services , nhs, in orderto cut waiting times and back logging.
The later argument is superficial bc it lacks wide scale nationalism and the fundamental shift lies in the fact that Starmer supports businessses and free market like blair
Foreign policy
New lab- Blair’s support Iraq war starmer’s strong commitment to nato. Ave Ukraine a £2.26 bn loan
Corbyn didnt take uk out of nato or gettin rid of trident as it may be unpopular with the electorate
More NL bc the ideological purity of OL is not fully endorsed bc it is not electorally viable
