The floods that are ravaging large parts of the south of
England at the moment are nothing short of a national tragedy, not to mention a
national emergency. Ed Miliband is not understating the case today by talking
about the effects of these changes to our temperate climate as a national
security issue.
Much of the coverage from the left has been of the
outrageous statement from the Prime Minister that ‘money is no object’ and ‘we
are a rich country’ when it comes to flood defences. Of course we are, but
considering that the PM has been peddling nonsense about how we’re nearly
bankrupt for almost six years now it is an absurd statement. Considering that
the flooding in working class communities in Yorkshire and Humberside several
years ago has still not received proper attention from government, this is a
particularly salty ointment. Away from the direct comparisons over flood relief,
it is obvious to anyone what an insult this is in a climate of public sector
pay depression, the hacking back of benefits of the most vulnerable, and the
sale of our welfare state.
However, the rural communities that are suffering through
the floods know that their current predicament is as a result of a lack of
proper spending, and restraint by the Treasury on the abilities of the Environment
Agency to take sensible precautions to defend lives and property. They know
that they are victims of savage cuts, and they need a different ideology in
Downing Street.
This could mark a watershed (pardon the pun) moment for
Labour. For a long time I’ve wondered why predominantly working class
communities in rural areas across England have been no-go areas for us. Travel
to Bridgewater and Taunton, or Gainsborough and Boston, you meet isolated communities,
with poor quality employment, poor education and high rates of child poverty.
These are working class communities on a par with any inner city, and with fewer
opportunities for regeneration. The popular perception of these places as
packed to the gunnels with the landed gentry is just tosh. These are our
people, and if we are failing to speak for appeal to them, we’re failing in our
basic duty to unite working people.
Through a combination of Labour’s historic unwillingness to
engage with rural issues in manifestos, and an ingrained perception that we are
the party for urban areas, we’ve never made headway here. This is despite the
fact that we are experienced in defending rural communities from attack and have
solid majorities in the old, largely rural, mining communities of South
Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Durham and elsewhere. When I lived in Bassetlaw in
north Nottinghamshire, John Mann MP not only commanded a strong majority from
traditional Labour voters, but also much respect (and electoral capital) from
farmers and agricultural workers familiar with his defence of rural
communities. One of our most inspiring MPs, and certainly the most approachable, is John Healey in Barnsley who has been a real voice for ordinary people defending the welfare state as an MP and minister. What's often missed is that he is a popular constituency MP in rural South Yorkshire, widely respected in his constituency for ensuring that the needs of rural communities for housing and quality public transport are taken into account. MPs like Mann and Healey are putting the needs of rural communities at the heart of practical Labour policies. Understanding the importance of public investment in local
transport, the precarious nature of agricultural work, and the importance of quality
social housing are all key issues that have built legitimacy and respect for
them and other Labour MPs and councillors.
Under Tony Blair, as under Harold Wilson, the Labour Party
thought the unthinkable by challenging the Conservatives in their middle-class
heartlands. This was a success, but a fragile one. It caused tensions within
the party over the interests and issues we served, lost us inner city seats to
the Liberal Democrats and has ultimately proved to be a short term strategy
time and time again. Building strong and solid support in rural communities
could be the key to a longer-term success; psephologically intelligent and
absolutely in tune with our commitment for economic justice for the most vulnerable
workers.
Meanwhile, rural communities have been taken for granted by
Tories, and the working people that comprise them treated with the same disdain
as working people in cities and towns. The abolition of the Agricultural Wages
Board sums up how poorly the Conservative party supports these fragile but
historically loyal communities.
It’s worth noting too that the old heartland of the Liberal
Party, inherited by the modern Lib Dems, has been rural communities,
particularly in the South West and Scotland. These conservative areas are
unimpressed by harsh Tory values, but have never been reached out to by Labour.
But with the coalition government leaving little distinction between Liberals
and Conservatives, many will be open to a new change following a monumental
betrayal.
The current weather presents a perfect storm. Against the
backdrop of the end of the AWB, the savaging of rural services (flood defences,
libraries and public transport), and the collapse of the finances, manpower and
support base of the Lib Dems, this is a moment for Labour to redefine itself as
a party for rural communities too.
It of course will not be easy, but no more difficult than
convincing voters across middle England to come back to the Party. It’s not
just a silly numbers game, however, this is also a test of our moral courage to
stand alongside working communities wherever they are, and defend their
interests. Miliband is seeking to define us as the ‘one nation’ party, and if
there was ever a nation that needed uniting, it’s the urban and rural poor.
More thoughts on how will follow, but needless to say we can
unite them through a commitment to public investment in infrastructure (whether
‘bus services or flood defences), improving the freedom of working people to
bargain (whether distribution centres or fields) and the defence of a civilised
welfare state (from local libraries to a compassionate benefits system).
