The election - just over or just beginning?

Someone said to me today - "But the election's over!" - to which I replied, "Nonsense, it's only just beginning!" And of course it is; the next election is what is really beginning with the leadership election kicking off this week. For a party that has "lost" an election (though I think we came second, and the Lib Dems third) we are in remarkably good spirits. Usually after a campaign the party steps back, takes a few weeks off, winds down. Not so this time. I've never known us more fired up to get on the #labourdoorstep and keep talking. The doorstep election has changed some of the culture of our campaigning for the better - a rebalancing from the technology driven hard targetting to a re-introduction of the importance of the personal touch.
Just this evening I was talking to a member in the West Midlands - as intrigued as me as to the positive spirit and fierce sense of fight back we are experiencing. Perhaps this is helped by the leadership election, which is giving us something positive and productive to focus on, and a lens through which to have a conversation about where the British people are at, and how connected our politics is to them - both in terms of substance and style.
So whilst it is agonising for me to see David Miliband and Ed Miliband go against each other, both of whom I admire, respect and know, they are doing our party a huge service in starting to lay out terms of the debate and a vision for the future. David kicked off his campaign this week, with a photoshoot in Westminster, and a tour of seats Labour has lost. Ed Miliband kicks off tomorrow, with a speech at the now sold-out Fabian post-election conference. A straw poll, totally unscientific, that I did this evening of where people currently stand gave a remarkably consistent picture of the election being wide open. Seeming to reflect the election polls to some extent, we're seeing a large number of "don't knows" in the party selectorate - members are waiting to be inspired and wooed, and included. David seems to have the lead in terms of profile and sense of heavyweight, Ed in terms of his ability to connect and communicate, and of course policy mastery with authorship of the manifesto. Exciting times. #ProudtobeLabour.

Radio 4 - or the Rachel Reeves Show this morning

Great to hear Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West (I love saying that) on Radio 4 this morning. She made two excellent points - that we mustn't lose sight of. Firstly that people no longer came to see us as the party of fairness - and the underlying issues of immigration, housing and welfare needed to be addressed. Secondly, that Labour in Parliament needed now to be a responsible opposition, agreeing with the Government when they get it right, and saying very clearly when they don't. Looking forward to seeing Rachel in the Shadow Cabinet before long. Amazing to think I've known Rachel since she was 18, and before she went to university! #ProudtobeLabour.

Nick Clegg: Damned if he doesn't, damned if he does

Listening to Laura Kuenssberg, Ben Wright and other BBC journalists this morning, it's pretty clear that there is still only one story in town. The Lib Dems and Conservatives are set to resume talks this morning, and there is every expectation that by the time the leaders meet their parties later today there will at least be an early deal on offer. Nick Clegg will rightly be tempted by the first opportunity for the Liberals to sit in Government for 90 years. The problem for him, however, is that in taking the prize now, the consequence could be the end of the Lib Dems.
Firstly, many voted Lib Dem to tactically keep the Tories out in Labour seats. They will now find their votes being used to prop up a Tory administration. Secondly, many in the Lib Dems are progressives, who have a commitment to public services and a view of social justice that gives more common ground with Labour. They will now be voting with a Tory manifesto they went to the country to fight against. Thirdly, the election saw a loss in Lib Dem seats, though the 6 million votes that the Lib Dems achieved is very significant. However many votes were for Nick Clegg based on his debate performances, less than for Lib Dem policies. The problem being of course that this wasnt a presidential election, and the harsh reality of party politics and Parliamentary processes are about to kick in. Finally, there are those who voted for the Lib Dems because of the promise of electoral reform. With Labour having been behind reform too, this would be another completion of a progressive project of reform that was started in 1997 but not finished. If what is delivered is watered down by the Tories, Lib Dem supporters may well feel sold out by Clegg. And indeed, once it is delivered, the Lib Dems will need to redefine what they are about and why people should vote Lib Dem. The divisions between different camps in what is essentially a franchise party could make this very difficult for a party that in many ways has been a single issue campaign. The Lib Dems could very well become the first victim of their own success.

So what's your view on Electoral Reform?

Really interesting discussion today on one of my favourite programmes The Big Questions on electoral reform. What it highlighted was the overwhelming sense of need for change, but real lack of clarity about what to change to. Richard Reeves of Demos, someone who has made a real impact in the think tank world in defining new debates on the centre-left, made a strong case for a referendum to allow people to decide how we reform our electoral system, a view I totally agree with. What remains an important part of the debate is what on earth will be on the referendum ballot paper. We are going to have to take a close look at what we think works in the current system which we should keep, such as geographical constituency links, and what doesn't work. Only then will we actually have a sensible vote for change that leads to a better outcome and a better method of managing our democracy. Take a look my column in Asian Voice next week for more on this.

Gordon Brown must stay holding the fort

I am quite bemused by the newspaper attacks on Gordon Brown for staying in Number 10 and dealing with the business of government whilst a deal is discussed by Cameron and Clegg. Suggestions of squatting are totally disingenuous. On the one hand, the markets are reliant on politicians keeping stability at the top. On the other hand, those papers who are supporting David Cameron seem to want to put him in the near impossible position of trying to negotiate a coalition deal the likes of which we havent seen for nearly forty years, and at the same time form a Government. As Helena Kennedy rightly said on the Andrew Marr Show today, Gordon is actually doing his constitutional duty by staying in place. I for one am quite relieved we have Alastair Darling and Gordon in place to deal with the European bail out this weekend to help contain the crisis in Greece.

Rise of Blue in the Black Country - but Ian Austin holds on to Dudley North

Some sad losses of the night include Rob Marris, Wolverhampton South West, Sue Hayman in Halesowen & Rowley Regis and Lynda Waltho in Stourbridge. It was the night the Black Country went blue in Dudley, though Labour managed to hold on to Dudley North. It was a well deserved win for Ian Austin, now with a reduced but decisive 600 majority which was confirmed on a recount this afternoon. I've had the good fortune to be able to work with Ian over the last two years. As Regional Minister he's played a huge role helping alleviate the impact of the recession on the regional economy - a role that has taken him well beyond the boundaries of Dudley. But I've also seen his pretty amazing commitment as a local to Dudley North, and if Ian had not won it would indeed have been a big loss for the people of Dudley. He's a fighting force against the Tories and a fearless advocate for principled politics, and the rights of his constituents. News of the win has certainly made my afternoon!

A historic election - first Asian Women MPs elected

I'm sure this will get some coverage in the unravelling that follows the election results, but just for the record, this election is another historic first for Labour. On Labour results I've managed to check so far, we've seen four Asian women elected - Rushanara Ali in Bethnal Green and Bow with an astounding 11,500 majority, Shabana Mahmood, who has been a fearless candidate and who has won with a 10,000 majority in Birmingham Ladywood, Yasmin Qureshi in Bolton South and Valerie Vaz in Walsall South. You can find my previous Tribune/Compass piece on this democratic deficit here - and from me, well done Rush, Valerie, Shabana and Yasmin - really proud of you, and proud that you are Labour women.

Gordon Brown - Every inch the Prime Minister this morning

I guess I'm not the only one still gripped by the election this morning. Sitting in my kitchen waiting for final results to come through and listening to Radio 5 live, I just heard Gordon Brown speak from Downing Street. Seems to me that Nick Clegg has got himself into a very awkward position, with his leverage quite damaged by seeing an overall loss of Liberal Democrat seats, including some of his best known names. I've always thought Labour and Lib Dems have a lot in common and should be closer. Unfortunately though they have been like a franchise party, with local parties using Lib Dem branding but standing for something very different from each other. Had Nick Clegg been given the chance of forming a Government, I believe we would have seen the imploding of the Lib Dems very quickly as the divisions behind the surface became more apparent under scrutiny. At this stage we're going to find out what Nick Clegg really stands for, and really believes in. Having played a slightly confusing campaign too, with Nick appealing to Tory voters whilst Vince Clegg set out an appeal to Labour voters, we were presented with two faces of a Lib Dem party that they are now going to have to choose between. What is pretty clear though, is that if the Tories and Lib Dems form a coalition, we will see a goodbye to the best chance of electoral reform we've had, and ironically the potential end to the Lib Dem surge as a new "third force". Nick has to work through a short, medium and long term strategy in one day. The right answer for Britain will absolutely be a progressive coalition; fingers cross Nick has the courage to do it.

The night of the long count - Labour's election stunners

What an amazing night. Just home from Birmingham count where I witnessed some real twists and turns through the evening. Liam Byrne – almost doubling his majority in Hodge Hill. When he told me I really was nearly in tears - it was overwhelming. His winning speech was one of the best of the night. Shabana Mahmood in Ladywood left Lib Dem candidate Ayub Khan standing at the starting line – his result half that of her vote. In fact so low he didn’t even bother to stay for the count. And Gisela Stuart. A Labour hold in Edgbaston, a swing of just 0.5% to the Tories. Phenomenal. Just minutes before had told me I was being far too positive about the possibility of her winning. I went downstairs to talk to Shabana who was getting accustomed to the prospect of winning, surrounded by family and campaign team, when there popped up on screen that Labour had held Edgbaston. Just a provisional result of course – and it was another 2 hours before it was fully verified and then declared. As someone said, politics can be cruel – but it can also be kind.

The Story the Media chose not to tell you last Friday – the Story of Jacqueline Denny

Labour List Blog:
Last Friday Labour launched final week election posters in Birmingham, at an event attended by the national media. Part way through the event, the drivers of a passing refuse collection lorry began shouting at the gathering, where Gordon Brown was standing with around ten of the Cabinet. Whilst distracted the refuse collection lorry apparently clipped a car, which then went into a bus stop. Luckily no one was injured.

As you can imagine, the loud bang caused real concern and for a moment it wasn’t clear whether the event would stop. None of us knew the seriousness of what had happened, and whilst Peter Mandelson calmly held it together, officials and police, as well as some of the media, ran over to see what had happened. It became clear that whilst the car was a write off, there were no evident injuries. The event then continued.

After the speeches, Andy Burnham led the Prime Minister over to meet a woman who was standing near me. Her name was Jacqueline Denny. She was a Labour supporter who had been introduced to him earlier that morning, who wanted to say thank you to Labour for their investment in the NHS. She had not had any previous contact with the Labour Party.

The day before she had been given the all clear from breast cancer, aged 65. She’d been diagnosed with breast cancer around 3 years earlier, shortly after her husband died. At the time she was still coming to terms with her husband’s death, and she described the faultless care she had received from the NHS though that time, not just medical but emotional. She’d been operated on very quickly and received very good drugs following the operation, all of which she believed contributed to her recovery.

She wanted to say thank you to Labour, and felt that she really wanted to say something positive in the election campaign. She had phoned a radio station in Birmingham, and someone had suggested she call the Labour Party. She phoned the regional Labour Party, and told her story. That night, she was invited to come and see the cancer pledge being launched the next morning.

In her own words, she had phoned because she was fed up with the negativity she was hearing in campaign coverage and wanted to talk about something positive, mainly her experience of the NHS. Indeed, not just her experience but that of others. This included her young grandson, who recently had to receive treatment at a specialist hospital unit in Stoke, where the family had been offered accommodation near by so they could be near the toddler.

The reason why she felt so strongly was that the treatment she and her family and friends were receiving was no accident. The treatment she received was because Labour had invested in the NHS, and brought the waiting lists down. She wasn’t a statistic, she wasn’t a number, she was a real person. And this is what Labour’s choices had meant for real people.

She recounted also the story of how things had changed from the Tory years. In the eighties, as a mother of four young children, she was told by her GP she had varicose veins and needed treatment. In Feb/March of that year, she was given an appointment around Feb for July 22nd. She went on July 22nd that year, to be told she wasn’t on the list.

When she enquired, they found that the reason was that the appointment was for the following year. Apparently even the GP was shocked. She was told that in order to speed things up she would have to go private, just to see a consultant and get on his list, let alone get treatment. The mum of four young children, from an ordinary working family with limited income, had to find £100, just to be seen by a consultant. And if she hadn’t been treated quickly, she could now have been suffering from ulcers and other potentially more serious conditions.

Recently someone close to her in her family had a similar varicose veins problem. She was referred by her GP to the same hospital, Solihull, and was treated within a week and a half. In Jacqueline’s own words, it was amazing.

She didn’t call the media on Thursday and come to a Labour Party event on Friday to tell everyone to vote Labour. She did want people to think about the election, and stop the negativity. She also wanted people to take the NHS into account when they cast their vote, because she didn’t want to risk a return to the old days, or to take health services for granted. She also remembered previous recessions; the number of home repossessions, high unemployment. And in the view of this ordinary mother and grandmother from Birmingham, this recession had been different. The effects of it had been reduced, and Labour had led the country through it.

Jacqueline was filmed speaking to Gordon and interviewed by almost all the media. Notes were taken. Recordings were made. But her story did not receive the coverage that a negative story would be likely to receive.

However Jacqueline’s story has been inspiring for me, for those that met her. I’ve recounted it on the doorstep across London and in the West Midlands over the weekend, and her words “I’m not a statistic. This is what Labour had done for real people.”

The media acted like paparazzi on Friday, and I wasn’t the only one to think of Princess Diana and the distasteful photography of her car crash. Luckily the driver was not injured, and apparently said later he would still be voting Labour.

So when you read about Labour’s so called election car crash, remember that the real story was that of Jacqueline Denny, who wanted to thank Labour for what has been done for her and her family, and to tell other voters too. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did as we go into the final days of the campaign.