PROGRESSIVE AGENDA TO STOP THE RIGHT
Saturday, 20 January, 2010
Congress House, London, WC1
Registration for the Progressive London conference, “A progressive agenda to stop the right in 2010” is now open. Click here to register for the event.
The conference will provide a cross-party, multi-community forum with politicians, trade unionists, bloggers, campaigners, faith leaders, community representatives, artists and academics.
Initial speakers include: Ken Livingstone; Jenny Jones AM – Green Party; Mike Tuffrey - Leader, London Assembly Liberal Democrats; Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for London; Johann Hari, writer; Mehdi Hasan - Senior Editor (Politics), New Statesman; Darren Johnson AM – Green Party; Kate Hudson – Chair, CND; Linda Perks – Regional Secretary, Unison; Diane Abbott MP; Dr Abdul Bari - MCB; Adam Bienkov - London political blogger; Megan Dobney - Regional Secretary, SERTUC; Len Duvall AM; George Galloway MP; Helen Gardner - Boriswatch.co.uk; Steve Hart - Unite regional secretary; Val Shawcross AM; Ann Pettifor; Neal Lawson - Compass; Kevin Maguire – The Mirror; James Macintyre – Political Correspondent, New Statesman; Jon Cruddas MP; Martin Hoscik - editor MayorWatch; Cllr Stephen Cowan - Labour group leader, Hammersmith and Fulham; Anni Marjoram; Anas Altikriti - British Muslim Initiative; Claude Moraes MEP; Sam Tarry; Tom Barry - Boriswatch.co.uk; Richard Ascough - GMB.
Ken Livingstone said:
“We are at a key moment in British politics. The global financial crisis led to the worst economic situation since the second world war. There has been massive state intervention to bailout bankers and bank shareholders. Unemployment has risen and private investment has collapsed. Although the Thatcher-Reagan consensus was discredited by the meltdown of the right’s economic model, nonetheless the Tories are using the deterioration in the public finances to openly plan painful attacks on public spending that would do great damage to an economic revival and bring misery to millions.
We are getting a taste of that in London. Boris Johnson has defended the worst of the bankers, protected drivers of the most polluting cars, but promises yet more painful fare increases this January, on top of last year’s inflation-busting package - and threatens reductions in bus and tube services.
It is vital that alternatives to the right’s arguments prevail.
The challenges we face, from recession and global economic crisis to climate change, make progressive policies more relevant than ever. Only progressive political solutions provide a way forward - investment, planning and collective action are the levers that would allow us to climb out of the economic crisis and raise ourselves up to the scale of the environmental catastrophe that has to averted.
Progressive political forces must seize back the agenda by offering policies that ensure that the majority of people are not made to pay for a crisis they did not create.
The Progressive London conference will look at how we resist cuts to public services, pensions and pay that would hamper economic revival, work together to continue to achieve social progress, take radical steps to protect the planet from climate change and halt the BNP in its tracks by ending the self-defeating cycle of concessions to the far right. ”
Under discussion will be a wide range of subjects including:
Investment not cuts; Trident, Afghanistan, Iraq - the cost of war; Challenging Cameron’s media echo chamber; Stopping the BNP - no concessions to the far right; After Copenhagen - turning the tide on climate change; Young people and the economic crisis; PR - progress through electoral reform?; One society, many cultures; Blogging London; International fight against the right; Capitalwoman; Lessons from Latin America; Why the Tories are not progressive; Peace in the Middle East, justice for Palestinians; Plus sessions on a progressive agenda for London - affordable housing, transport, culture and many more.
Take part in the debate register in advance here.
I’m a little out of touch. Can someone remind me what is “progressive” about Tessa Jowell other than not being in UKIP?
Comment by Liam — 4 December, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Although the Thatcher-Reagan consensus was discredited by the meltdown of the right’s economic model, nonetheless the Tories are using the deterioration in the public finances to openly plan painful attacks on public spending that would do great damage to an economic revival and bring misery to millions.
Labour has been in office for the past 13 years and you’re blaming the right for the economic meltdown?
Let’s be clear: the meltdown had nothing to do with capitalism and everything to do with interventionist corporatism which this dreadful government foisted upon us.
It is THIS government which left interest rates too low, encouraged people to borrow and failed to notice the overheating of the economy.
It is THIS government which has spent us into unprecedented debt.
It is THIS government which has taken us into the worst recession for nearly 100 years, with a debt level that is second only to Argentina.
You communists need to get a grip.
Comment by FaustiesBlog — 4 December, 2009 @ 11:03 am
#2
The structural readjustment of the UK economy, involving privatisation, the exportation of the nation’s industrial base, and deregulation of the City and the wholesale transformation of the economy from one that made things to one based on an inflated property market, financial services, and the rise of a service economy to meet the demands of consumers, this was started under Thatcher and the Tories. New Labour continued the process, buoyed by the illusory and, as it has turned out, seemingly neverending boom of the 90s.
Consumer credit replaced real wages and income, which has fallen in real terms since the crisis of the late 70s, a crisis which was global in scope as the rate of profit fell and global capitalism adapted by forcing down production costs via the deindustrialisation of western economies.
Thatcherite policies of cutting public spending and attacking the deficit in an attempt to attract investment in order to kickstart an economy in recession have already been proved to result in a surge in unemployment, poverty and a deepening rather than an easing of recession.
New Labour’s limited attempts to bolster demand through fiscal stimulus are supported by every major and recognised economist. The problem is they haven’t taken it far enough, stopping halfway at bailing out the banks and expecting them to continue as before. They should be announcing wholesale investment in public works programmes and have formally nationalised the banks.
The free market is dead. Haven’t you heard?
Comment by John — 4 December, 2009 @ 11:36 am
“nationalised the banks”
and the rest of the noe-liberalism that there carry on with but hay this is new labour nevermind with what there said about banks boss boues.
Comment by steelcityred — 4 December, 2009 @ 11:57 am
Breaking news - deserves SU front page:
Corus to axe 1, 700 jobs on Teeside.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/04/corus-1700-job-losses
A massive blow to the North east, and a damming indictment of new labour, who are presiding over the final destruction of industry in this land.
OCCUPATION!!!!
Occupy to prevent closure?!! Yes!
What the Visteon and vestas workers did, now needs to happen on a grand scale on Teeside. Such a titanic battle could galvanise the working class in Britain and even tip the balance of class forces.
Re-Nationalise it!
As Keith Hazlewood, national officer of the GMB told the press: “What a terrible contrast between the 1,700 workers losing their jobs on Teesside and the multimillionaire bankers continuing to gorge themselves at the expense of the taxpayers.”
And we need steel for the green new deal! What else are wind turbine towers to be made from?
Comment by Barry Kade — 4 December, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
anyone concerned about the likely election of an even more rightwing government in 2010 who wants to engage in real discussion on the alternatives-and discuss with the real forces and currents that exist - starting where people in the UK are today, will find this interesting i am sure
i believe one of the main tasks is to explain the entirely coherent economic alternative to the current capitalist system -this alternative exists, is being proven to work in some significant world economies-notably China, and the argument has to be made for it-starting right now-
perhaps on this web site-as the left and progressives economic literacy needs to be improved- to see the steps ahead- the alternatives to the headlong plunge of so many countries, with economic decline, attacks on people’s living standards and rights, racism , all to finance and justify imperialist military policies and relaunch of capital accumulation
this needs to be understood- and the dynamic of history it is part of
Comment by sylvia ebberly — 4 December, 2009 @ 1:17 pm
#1 The point is about dragging ministers into the orbit of a progressive coalition, i.e. exerting pressure on real politics rather than shouting from the sidelines.
It’s a hegemonic approach.
Livingstone is engaging serious political forces in an attempt to keep the Tories and BNP out of power. Seems sensible to me.
Comment by little black sister — 4 December, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Ken Livinstone wrote:
Although the Thatcher-Reagan consensus was discredited by the meltdown of the right’s economic model, nonetheless the Tories are using the deterioration in the public finances to openly plan painful attacks on public spending that would do great damage to an economic revival and bring misery to millions
Actually so to is Labour. Where I live a Labour run local authority has closed our community centre, frozen pay for council staff, slashed funding to the voluntary sector, reduced budgets for care homes and so on-and I also think most of the councillors were against the war, regardless of which anyone who calls for a vote for Labour is voting for public services to be cut!
Comment by Owen — 4 December, 2009 @ 2:02 pm
In my experience people use a term like ‘hegemonic’ to excuse associating with a bunch of bourgeois, opportunistic, careerist, sell out merchants who haven’t got the slightest interest in class struggle. It seems from little black sister’s comments about Livingstone that I’m right again.
Comment by Doug — 4 December, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
Doug
The task is to shift the mainstream political agenda to the left.
this itself will provide a more favourable context for class struggle politics to succeed.
As Angela Davis brilliantly explains, fundamental social change can only happen when ordinary working people not only see that society is organisaised unjustly, but that they also beleive it can and must change. if the beleif in change can be fostered, then every partial trade union and community struggle and single issue campaign becomes pregant with the possibility of transcending its own limited remit to increase the confidence to ask for more and more change.
It is necessary to isolate the right wing with as broad a coalition as possible, and within that coalition to try to push for the most radical solutions. Bringing radical polcies into the mainstream means sharing platforms wit Jowell and the Lib Dems sometimes, becausue we need to aim to be the most left wing part of the politically relvent mainstream.
Not talking to ourseves every week with 3 or 4 others losers in a community centre in the back of beyond, and discussing how we sold 9 papers the previous saturday.
Comment by Andy Newman — 4 December, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
Tessa Jowell has today announced she wants to tear up the terms and conditions of hundreds of thousands of civil servants, with a view to mass job cuts and privatisations. While I welcome moves towards unity on the left, I cannot for a second see what she can possibly bring to the table.
Comment by Keith Watermelon — 4 December, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
And that’s not to say I wouldn’t have her on any platform - I’ve welcomed her to keep our nhs public meetings for example (she’s my MP); but she cannot ’stop the right’ if she is the right… except through her immediate resignation and suicide, of course
Comment by Keith Watermelon — 4 December, 2009 @ 6:03 pm
#9 In my experience people use language like “associating with a bunch of bourgeois, opportunistic, careerist, sell out merchants who haven’t got the slightest interest in class struggle” to excuse being ultra-left and therefore utterly pointless.
Comment by little black sister — 4 December, 2009 @ 6:13 pm
#10
Andy ,I really fail to see how the involvement of opportunist mediocrities like Tessa Jowell ( who has consistently supported New Labour’s more-right-than-left direction)in any way helps our “…aim to be the most left wing part of the politically relvent mainstream.”
Comment by Omar — 4 December, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
#14 Each represents more people than all the left infantile groups put together.
What a pointless and sectarian contribution.
Comment by little black sister — 4 December, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
I think this particular item can be curtailed here
to most bloggers on this site-no comment is needed on a patently sensible and needed progressive event
to the remaining few negative cynics-they offer no more than sneering and oppositionalism-and the so called ‘discussion’ does none of us any good-so Andy why not cap it here?-the different views have been expressed-let us all off any more substanceless ping pong on this thread- maybe some people could go off and read Lenin’s ‘Left Wing Communism an infantile disorder’ and reflect-that is my suggested passing note! see you in January-as more people lose jobs and cuts in all sectors come upon us we need to focus our energies
Comment by sylvia ebberly — 4 December, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
#16
I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT, IT HAS ALL BEEN SAID NOW.
Comment by Andy Newman — 4 December, 2009 @ 8:56 pm