In recent posts I’ve been sceptical about an anyone-but-Gordon succession for Labour after Blair. However, this book review by David Miliband on Anthony Gidden’s new book is well worth reading.

I’m very impressed by Miliband’s diagnosis of New Labour’s failings. My concern about Miliband has been that I couldn’t see what he had to offer that neither Brown nor Cameron could do better. But there are a whole lot of people who want to know why that incredible wave of belief in the possibility of a New Britain that swept over the country in 1997 has gone to waste. Perhaps far more than Brown, who has been too closely involved, and Cameron, who never wanted it to succeed to begin with, Miliband can show us where the New Labour project, which was once genuinely popular rather than just well-spun, went wrong. He says:

New Labour has, in my view, been good at setting national priorities, but not good enough at promoting strong community self-government. New Labour has been good at paying teachers and nurses and police more, not good enough at making them feel like real entrepreneurs. New Labour has been good at creating new laws and expectations of social behaviour, not good enough at giving young people a sense of commitment to the country.

It’s a while since I’ve agreed so fully with something a politician has said.

Filed under: davidcameron, davidmiliband, gordonbrown, labour, ukpolitics on March 26th, 2007