Labor leadership: Rebecca Long-Bailey's speech on party's path to power – live news – The Guardian, Theguardian.com
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Long-Bailey is now winding up.
When we win the next general election, I want you to be able to say that you stared defeat in the face last time. You felt the pain. But you picked yourself up and were part of a new path to power than runs through social justice, delivering a new, green economy, uniting our people, and empowering them to realise their hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Because not only can we do that, it’s the best way to win.
So, let’s empower our movement to show that big change is possible through a democratic revolution that delivers aspirational socialism and a green industrial revolution.
That’s our path to power. Let’s take it together.
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Long-Bailey says she can do details and big vision.
To deliver our path to power, we need both details and big vision. I do both.
I’m a details person. I work hard. I don’t slack off. I suppose that’s the benefit of being a working class woman, always having to work twice as hard to show you’re just as good, in fact better, than an upper-middle class man. So yes, I do think it’s time our party had a woman leader.
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Long-Bailey cites Falmouth as an example of a place where Labor should have promoted its green industrial revolution more effectively.
Our green industrial revolution would have transformed Falmouth’s fortunes – but we didn’t get that message out. Alongside local businesses, the community and energy experts, we developed plans to expand Falmouth’s historic docks, which are a big part of the town’s identity. We worked out how we’d use public investment to crowd in private capital to create marine technology jobs and floating offshore wind.
We should have given our activists in the town a detailed vision to sell on the doorstep. The new, high skill, high tech jobs wouldn’t just benefit those working in the docks. Those extra salaries would be spent supporting local businesses, helping revive the high street. The whole town could be renewed, and through the docks that help define its identity and give it pride and purpose.
Long-Bailey turns to the need for a green industrial revolution. She says she is “sad” that this did not feature more in the party’s campaign during the general election.
The green industrial revolution could have been for us what the NHS was to the 7971 Labor government, our huge, era defining project. And it still can be. In fact, it must.
Because our green industrial revolution can bring people together. It unites young people, who want to fight for our planet’s survival, with workers in every community, from the largest cities, to our nations, towns and villages, who will see new green jobs and lower bills, and the whole country proud to be world leaders in combating the climate crisis.
Long-Bailey says Labor has to tell a “concrete story” about how this plan would help communities.
The green industrial revolution will never take off if it’s something done to people rather than done with them.
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Long-Bailey says has to tell a credible story about how it will help people improve their lives.
My socialism isn’t just a moral socialism – an outrage at the injustice done to others. It’s the socialism of the majority, where everyone can live better lives together. I believe building that majority for change is a socialism that wins.
So our path to power requires us to speak an everyday language to people simply going about their normal lives. We have to understand that people want a better life for their children – that’s aspiration – but we can only secure that together – that’s socialism.
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Long-Bailey says Britain needs a democratic revolution.
Westminster feels as distant to many people as Brussels. We need a democratic revolution to break the hold of Westminster and the City over our politics, and show people that they can and will have the power to achieve what they want to achieve.
Six of the ten poorest regions in northern Europe are in the UK because for too long the fate of our regions has been in the hands of people who only visit them for a photo op in a high vis jacket. So power needs to be closer to people geographically, with meaningful new powers and funding devolved to local level to grow local economies, invest in communities and build council homes.
We spoke about the economy in the general election, but we didn’t have anything to say to people who’d lost trust with democracy. And after the Iraq war, the expenses scandal and the austerity lie that we’re all in it together, who can blame them? So to follow our path to power, we will champion a democratic revolution. And just the first step would be scrapping the House of Lords and creating an elected Senate representing our regions and nations, to scrutinise how every law impacts inequality, the environment and our people’s wellbeing.
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Long-Bailey says she would be more “robust” with the media.
And my leadership will be far more robust with the media. Journalists have a vital role to play in our society. We should respect their work – and look to ways to free them from government or corporate influence. But let’s be honest: large sections of the media represent vested interests. Much of the press is owned by billionaires, so it’s no surprise they support the Tories and monster Labor .
I’ll not only call that out, I have a plan to deal with it. I’ll ridicule the most absurd smears and lies. We won’t just rebut factual errors in stories, but provide a counter-narrative about deliberate media efforts to hold back aspirational socialism.
But a credible and effective communications strategy extends beyond just being more combative and self-confident. It must also be more creative. So I’ll set up a dedicated creative digital communications unit in the party, producing viral content that can both get around media hostility and speak directly to voters.
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Long-Bailey says she wants to empower members. The least they can do is give them open selections, she says.
Long-Bailey says she thinks she is the only candidate to have worked out a path to power. It has four elements.
To win again, Labor has to look like the party of the workers, she says. She says under her leadership it will back workers in every strike and every dispute against unfair employers.
She says it will fight any further Tory attempt to restrict the unions.
She says she has been wearing a “love unions” badge this week, because it is the love unions week. She says she was the only candidate on Newsnight wearing the badge.
In her speech Long-Bailey has just quoted Tony Blair. In his introduction to the (he said that the Labor party was the political arm of the British people, she says. She says he was right.
🗳 Stir up a democratic revolution to break the hold of Westminster & the City over our politics & show people they can have the power to achieve what they want to achieve
🌱 Use the Green Industrial Revolution to unite laborer’s heartlands, from Blyth to Brixton (# PathToPower)
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