Labour's 2015 general election manifesto was by any standards a moderate,nuanced and relatively anodyne document.It defies credibility that some extreme blairites could in all seriousness criticise it for being dangerously "left wing".Yet this is the urban political myth that they are trying to develop.
In the first place the 2015 manifesto made no critique of the austerity agenda but simply endorsed it wholesale.Labour proposed to continue with public expenditure cuts,albeit at a slower rate and with less intensity.This is classically a right-wing labour stance.It is reminiscent of Denis Healey acquiesing in 1976 to the IMFs demand for similar austerity cuts.Labour lost-and lost resoundingly-on a blatantly right-wing economic platform.
This uncritical acquiescence to Conservative economics and rhetoric was further reinforced by Labour simply agreeing that the last labour government did "overspend" and with it the implication that this caused the budget deficit.Labour prostrated itself to a conservative economic agenda and the result was a cataclysmic defeat.This particular example of political mythology was never challenged.In reality it wasnt labour's public expenditure that caused the deficit.In 2008 Alistair Darling had to borrow billions to save the banks and the entire economy from n acopalytic demise.This was entirely the product of unfettered financial markets engaging in spectacular levels of risk.Free market capitalism caused thr crisis-government management of the economy saved the day.
The meteoric ascent of Jeremy Corbyn and his popularity owe much to his honesty and courage in debunking these myths.He is doing what the two Ed's should have done.
The characteristically right-wing nature of the manifesto can also be seen in labour's commitment to renew Trident.At a time of draconian cuts in public expenditure nuclear deterrence was still seen as imperative.How left-wing was this?
Fundamentally Labour never challenged the premise that free markets are still optimal.There were proposals for regulating energy prices and for a living wage-but this is classic social democratic reformism.They were certainly welcome-but even these popular measures were lambasted by the wannabe tories in labour's ranks,notably Liz Kendall.This is despite Tony Blair's 1997 manifesto contained similar proposals.
The 2015 defeat wasnt a repudiation of "left-wing labour".It was a devastating rejection of labour's adherence to the centre-right austerity agenda and its timidity and lack of ideological confidence in proferring an alternative.As the electorate kept saying "they're all the same".Labour has lost two successive elections on a pro-austerity platform echoing though slightly ameliorating the centre right tory consensus.
It is repeating the tory lie about labour's spending and swallowing the cuts agenda that has undermined labour's reputation for economic confidence not being "left wing".It is time to demythologise this political caricature once and for all.
