Brown goes for ‘aspirational’ class war


by Sunny Hundal    
9:30 am - December 31st 2009

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The Daily Mail reports:

A defiantly optimistic Gordon Brown will today try to woo back Labour’s lost Middle England voters with a New Year message promising ‘a decade of shared prosperity’.

The Prime Minister will admit that Britain needs change – but he will insist that he is the one to deliver it and will warn that a vote for the Tories will ‘wreck the recovery’.

Reshaping Labour’s class war attacks, Mr Brown will accuse David Cameron’s team of plotting to create a country where the ‘majority lose out while the privileged few protect themselves’.

But stung by criticism from senior ministers that the class-based attacks are alienating floating voters, Mr Brown will also promise that Labour will do more for ‘aspirational’ voters on middle incomes who have abandoned the party.

While there’s absolutely no evidence middle class voters have abandoned New Labour because it wasn’t “aspirational” enough, this narrative works for me.

The word “privileged” should be used over and over again until it is drummed into people’s minds.

Meanwhile, Charles Clarke and Barry Sheerman MP should probably STFU and accept that the time to get rid of Brown has passed. They should have done that last year at the party conference.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


“While there’s absolutely no evidence middle class voters have abandoned New Labour because it wasn’t “aspirational” enough, this narrative works for me. ”

Middle class voters have abandoned Labour because Labour has hit them financially. The decade 2000-09 has seen the lowest average annual growth rate since the 1940s. Why would anyone want to re-elect a government with that record?

Gordon doesn’t understand the real meaning of ‘aspiration. Everything he does (intended or otherwise) destroys it. What you don’t understand, you can’t attract.

From as aspirational single parent, working in the public sector, who has never voted Labour and never will.

As for the final paragraph … it demonstrates very well that Labour cannot abide alternative opinions.

The home page of the labour party website currently features “what Conservative said what in 2009″. It certainly showcases certain aspirations….

Quite frankly, competence at the top is more important to this country right now than (relatively small, in the case of lab vs con) differences in political ideology.

So what exactly is the message?

We support your aspirations…though when you get there, we’ll clobber you!

Most excellent, Gordon.

‘But stung by criticism from senior ministers that the class-based attacks are alienating floating voters, Mr Brown will also promise that Labour will do more for ‘aspirational’ voters on middle incomes who have abandoned the party.’

So basically after a couple of weeks pretending to be class warriors someone remembered to hit the New Labour reset button.

6. William Grace

Interesting Idea, but there really is no “Class” system here in the UK. It is down to two, those who run the country and work to run the country, the civil service, in other words, and those who do not. The undeserving class, those who should know their place and just accept it.

Gordo has forgotten that, and for some reason wants to hit out at the people who will always vote for him, those the government employ. With the current amount of people that work for them they could win any election, if he just gave them what the asked for and taxed the those the undeserving few.

Two weeks ago I was working forty hours a week; after the bills were paid, I was left with a paltry £50 in disposable income. Now I am unemployed life is wonderful. I spend all my free-time on the Xbox and do a few errands here and there for the luxuries. The only thing I aspire towards is Incapacity benefit.


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  1. Liberal Conspiracy

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