Anthony Painter

After some reflection, I’ve decided to wind up this blog. It’s been incredibly good fun and has helped me to think a lot of things through. But there comes a time when you have to consider whether things can be taken further. I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t do so without devoting an unmanageable amount of time to it or by taking it in a direction that I don’t want.

Thank you to the tens of thousands of readers this blog has had over two and half years. Thank you to other people who have contributed blogs to the site- Stephen Adshead warrants a particular mention. And thank you for those who have helped in so many other ways. Blue Impressions built this version of the site- hire them.

I’ll be moving on to other things- ready for the next challenge and all that. Generally, I’ll be reducing my output. My LabourList column will become a fortnightly rather than weekly affair. But I’ll still be around and hope to make a real contribution to seeing Labour back in office again and the back of this Coalition who seem hell-bent on a destructive path to closing the budget deficit. They will do so mainly by attacking groups who are voiceless and so have no means of political defence. It’s underhand and utterly politically motivated.

I’ll look to make those arguments but also challenging arguments about how Labour must change. If it doesn’t then the Coalition’s political attack on a Britain where we really are all in this together will become a ten year rather than a five year project. The damage will double or worse. I left Manchester with a spring in my step. The new leader and the team around him genuinely understand the scale of the challenge. One message I hope they will take on board- and I believe they have- is that they are in charge now. They don’t owe anybody anything. Lead and do what is necessary whosoever may grumble along the way.

Anyway, this blog started off as a travelog of my time in the US following the Democratic primary. I shifted it onto British politics. I have tried to be honest and objective yet with an underlying ethos- a personal political philosophy that in the public square, the workplace, and in the realm of collective provision everyone should have a stake and have a say. Whether that political philosophy is democratic socialist, ethical socialist, democratic republican (my personal preference), or radical liberal is open to question. I see it is as Labour, plain and simple. It doesn’t particuarly matter which of these labels you apply. What’s important is that the struggle continues. 

Luckily there are others in the blogosphere who are well placed to do that- LabourList, Left Foot Forward, Labour Uncut, Next Left, Liberal Conspiracy and Hopi Sen spring to mind. There are many others. The left is about to enter a period of enormous creativity. I hope it can be strategic and ruthless also. Winning the argument or the ‘battle of ideas’ is not enough. You have to win the political struggle too. 

Onwards…..