Labour look like they’ll be legislating on the budget deficit. Sorry, I thought that was something that budgets do?
This tells us all we need to know about new Labour.
Let’s deconstruct it.
1. Treating the electorate as idiots -they don’t seem to understand that people ask questions. Like, erm, `who got us into this mess in the first place?` Oh, what’s that Alistair, wasn’t just the bankers? Perhaps you can tell us what % you think Labour were culpable?`
2. If in doubt, legislate. New Labour have made legislation as a cover for leadership into an art form. Most people would think that this sort of thing should be covered by a budget. It’s state of the art `Gordon McCavity Cowardice`.
3. Lack of democratic accountability – Governments shouldn’t tie up the democratic process through legislation on deficits – though Labour are tending to desire a `legacy` – witness the ISA on safeguarding children (now rethought).
Labour are in a bind – either they confess to their part of the economic nightmare and then are asked `what % is your part of the failure?` Without this there is no intellectual movement to break the ice-like grip that their recession has on their poll ratings.
