In praise of moral outrage: reply to Douglas Alexander

If I had to state the reasons I signed up to the Labour Party Young Socialists 30 years ago this year, the words ‘moral outrage’ would make for a pretty good two-word summary. The feeling has never entirely left me, and on my reckoning, Labour today could do with more of this commodity rather than less.

Harold Wilson famously declared that the party was a crusade or it was nothing, and let’s just say that in the Blair years, it wasn’t exactly a crusade. Detestation at Britain’s obvious class-based inequalities – once a given on the Labour left, and at least a theoretical postulate for the Labour right – gave way to being intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich.

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What is the point of joining a political party?

Just under a year ago I joined the Labour Party. I will not be renewing my membership.

This is not, however, because of some ideological disenchantment. Neither is it due to dissatisfaction with Ed Miliband’s faltering start, or the Party’s lamentable response to the Coalition.

The truth is, I’ve done nothing for Labour since the 2010 General Election. I’ve not even bothered updating my CLP membership since moving to Cambridge. And the basic reason for this is that I intensely dislike political campaigning, and party-political activities.
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Is Labour still unclear on what needs to change?

Party leaders will never be in want of unsolicited advice. Ed Miliband rightly argues that a party which polled just 29% of the vote after 13 years in office should open everything to scrutiny, and begin a policy review from a “blank page”.

In rewriting the script, he should welcome more open debate, and disagreement too, wherever that is constructive. The leader must persuade his party to embark on a journey of change.
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Pakistan faces religious riots over Blasphemy law

A one day strike rocked Pakistan last week against proposed changes in the blasphemy laws. Currently those who ‘insult Islam’ can be sentenced to death and, according to the BBC, this has led to around thirty people being killed.

Critics add that the law is used to persecute religious minorities or to pursue vendettas.
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The government should consider weekend voting to increase turnout

The political reform agenda is likely to be dominated by a spring referendum on the alternative vote and a promise to bring proportional representation to the House of Lords.

But there are two much smaller ideas the government should look to pilot during the year; 2011 should see weekend voting and increasing the number of polling stations tested out.

Raising turnout in public elections is a widely shared aimed that rapidly runs into two difficulties.
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