Britain needs hope and leadership, not class war

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

With Labour’s new focus on the Tory position on fox hunting and further speculation swirling that the 2010 general election will be fought along lines of class, it’s at least reassuring that Ed Balls and Tessa Jowell have rejected a possible Labour election strategy based on division.

While highlighting the marked differences in priorities between Labour and the Tories on policy, Ed Balls told the Sunday Times that “the idea we are fighting a class war is a nonsense”. He said the real dividing lines between the main parties are not based on background or privilege, but that the Tories:

“are prioritising tax cuts for the richest estates ahead of spending on the key public services.They have designed an inheritance tax policy which costs billions but which won’t benefit a single lower or middle-income family in Britain but will benefit themselves and a tiny percentage of other individuals.”

Tessa Jowell was more categorical and perhaps more convinced by her own argument:

“I don’t think anyone can be responsible for the school they went to. Most people don’t give it a thought for one day to the next whether Eton exists. I don’t think this should be an election campaign about the 1960s intake to Eton or whatever it was.”

As Laurie Penny writes for LabourList today, fox hunting must not be a priority for Labour at a time when people are struggling with job losses and chronic housing shortages. While it is indeed a barbarous act to hunt down and kill foxes with dogs, to dedicate much time to that campaign – or to one which divides this country along social lines rather than advancing how this country can work together to address moern challenges – would be a severe skew of priorities.

Going into 2010 this country needs leaders: people who are willing to admit where mistakes have been made and set out a vision for solving them through long-term reform of our economy and democracy. That’s the sort of strategy I’d like to see Labour adopt in the new year.