There was a revealing item in yesterday's London Evening Standard:
“Miliband’s Commons aide has dramatically admitted that Labour is losing the argument on benefits reform, the Evening Standard can reveal. Senior MP Karen Buck warned a trade union-organised conference that Left-wingers "have to accept" the truth that Labour has failed to convince the public so far.
Her comments follow months of bitter friction over whether Mr Miliband is right to oppose Tory-led benefits cutbacks, at the risk of Labour being perceived as a party for claimants.
Only weeks ago, the Standard revealed that Mr Miliband's private pollster James Morris had given a presentation showing that "politically salient target groups" were overwhelmingly likely to support rather than oppose controversial Government benefit changes.....
Mr Miliband last month demoted Liam Byrne, who as welfare spokesman argued that Labour should be focusing on reform rather than just opposing cuts.
One party source said the polling evidence on welfare had "vindicated" Mr Byrne's position...
Polling expert Mr Morris told a trade union meeting that voters on average backed David Cameron's reforms by about two to one - but that among Labour-Conservative swing voters the divide was a huge 64 per cent to nine per cent.”
At one time Labour would have been proud to be described as "the party of welfare". Not any more, now that it's a vote-loser. These people are will stop at nothing to get back into office and their bums on ministerial seats. They're disgusting.
The fig-leaf they have retained is that they say they will repeal the bedroom tax. Maybe, but this was a particularly vindicative piece of legislation introduced for vote-winning reasons. Its pretext (empty rooms which could be used by those on waiting lists) is shown not to be the real reason as the group most likely to have one, the retired, have been excluded -- because they are more likely to vote -- leaving the brunt of the measure to be borne by the disabled. It is true that the Tories may have been too nasty for their own good on this one.
ALB
“Miliband’s Commons aide has dramatically admitted that Labour is losing the argument on benefits reform, the Evening Standard can reveal. Senior MP Karen Buck warned a trade union-organised conference that Left-wingers "have to accept" the truth that Labour has failed to convince the public so far.
Her comments follow months of bitter friction over whether Mr Miliband is right to oppose Tory-led benefits cutbacks, at the risk of Labour being perceived as a party for claimants.
Only weeks ago, the Standard revealed that Mr Miliband's private pollster James Morris had given a presentation showing that "politically salient target groups" were overwhelmingly likely to support rather than oppose controversial Government benefit changes.....
Mr Miliband last month demoted Liam Byrne, who as welfare spokesman argued that Labour should be focusing on reform rather than just opposing cuts.
One party source said the polling evidence on welfare had "vindicated" Mr Byrne's position...
Polling expert Mr Morris told a trade union meeting that voters on average backed David Cameron's reforms by about two to one - but that among Labour-Conservative swing voters the divide was a huge 64 per cent to nine per cent.”
At one time Labour would have been proud to be described as "the party of welfare". Not any more, now that it's a vote-loser. These people are will stop at nothing to get back into office and their bums on ministerial seats. They're disgusting.
The fig-leaf they have retained is that they say they will repeal the bedroom tax. Maybe, but this was a particularly vindicative piece of legislation introduced for vote-winning reasons. Its pretext (empty rooms which could be used by those on waiting lists) is shown not to be the real reason as the group most likely to have one, the retired, have been excluded -- because they are more likely to vote -- leaving the brunt of the measure to be borne by the disabled. It is true that the Tories may have been too nasty for their own good on this one.
ALB
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