We need to change the way that Britain works
4 min read
Progress has achieved great things since it was established, but now we need to come up with new answers to the challenges Britain faces, says Alison McGovern MP.
Being a progressive in 2019 has not been easy.
Brexit has dominated our politics after a referendum where conservatives succeeded in putting the past on the ballot paper instead of admitting the catastrophic results of a decade of austerity. The Leave campaign promised a return to the economic nationalism of the 1950s and the immigration policies of the 1970s. Not only was it devastating to see the referendum offer the public a policy platform that was populist in nature and impossible to deliver, it was unfair. Old-fashioned command and control economics, and a romantic attitude to a class politics of the past have resurfaced. The lessons of history are crucial but we need to win the future.
We know the challenges we face. Rising prices, low wages and universal credit is wreaking havoc with people’s lives. Poverty is rising. Rough sleeping is up 134% since 2010. Foodbank use is up four-fold since 2012. We now know that mental health affects so many. Yet single parents, the young and the old are left on waiting lists while their wellbeing gets worse. Meanwhile, white Tory men have engineered politics so that they are in control of the country’s future.
Progress is not inevitable and we are not different by default. We believe our ideas are vital for our country and the left. We want to mobilise the power of the nation state, not just for an intangible expression of patriotism, but for the tangible benefits it could bring to the British people and our shared future.
Crucially, we cannot be nostalgic about our own organisation. We have achieved great things since we were established but the challenges of now demand new answers. We have a vision for the 2020s and we aim to be a force for good and a force for progress in the decade to come.
Our towns and communities need a stronger economic backbone. An inclusive economy is an economic, social and moral imperative. Automation in our workplace, the climate crisis and our ageing population are challenges but they can also be an opportunity for democratising our economy.
The first step is tackling monopoly capital and the prevalence of low-skilled, low-paid work. Technology can benefit all, but we must change the structure of the tech industry by breaking monopolies to redistribute power. Overall, we must ensure work pays, support our trade unions and incentivise patient capital for regional investment via the creation of a National Investment Bank.
The state must intervene to tackle wealth inequality and help ‘generation rent’. We could radically transfer wealth via means-tested baby bonds, individual learning accounts as part of a National Education Service or by giving everyone shares in our nation’s land wealth. We could relocate the Government from the opulence of Westminster, to create a sovereign wealth fund to build new homes.
Progressives believe in the dignity and equality of life right across the world and we cannot let ordinary people bear the brunt of political failure. We are strongest when we co-operate with the international community to improve lives and understand the common experience of all across the world. As such, we believe in the European Union and stand ready to fight for Britain’s membership of it.
We also recognise our moral responsibility to tackle the climate change crisis and provide safe passage when the international community fails.
Everyone must have a stake in their future. Democracy and solidarity are as vital to Progress as they are for the whole labour movement. We must seek power and justice via the ballot box. And above all, we believe the United Kingdom is a country we can and should be proud of. It contains all the ingredients for a country that could help people to get on and make the most of life. What we need are new ideas, new leadership, and a commitment to change the way that Britain works.
Alison McGovern is chair of Progress and the Labour MP for Wirral South
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