Just one more time... By all accounts, and Nigel also has a good take on it here, The Grauniad put a rather simplistic spin on the speech, to the extent that I'm not sure the quote I fixed on is really indicative of the general argument at all. Which happily allows me to regain my faith in John Denham.
My generalised moan about the way the party tends to communicate its message to supporters stands though. I don't think I fall into the camp of people for who symbolism and rhetoric, and misty-eyed appeals to TIGMOO, always trump actual results. I also like to think I know a bit about communication myself. So if the language and positioning adopted is making someone like me a bit apathetic then we have a problem.
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I genuinely believe that the New Labour figures, some of whom are stepping down at the next election, saw it as their mission to prevent a challenge to the people who run this country.
Take the banking crisis:
There's a difference between wanting to nationalise banks, being indifferent on their ownership, and being stidently in favour of their private sector status. New Labour waited months before nationalising a bank - worried at what the super-rich would think if the solution was public ownership.
In the 70s the super rich, and their allies in the security services, were scared that the "moderate" leadership of the Labour government would cave in to demands from anti-capitalists and that Britain really would go socialist.
The fear is much the same today - hence the Daily Telegraph's dumping of a huge pile of shit on labour just before the Euro elections, knowing how hard it would hit turnout amongst traditional Labour voters
No doubt Denham gave the impression to the Guardian that he'd come across as the typical New Labour "moderniser" and has since been back-peddling having seen how it's gone down with people like Luke Akehurst, etc...
Btw, you mentioned Digby Jones being a body-blow. How about Thatcher-worshipping Siralan Sugar?
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