The Choice for Britain
I want to know your ideas. More than any other time in my political lifetime, I am conscious that the future is not yet written. At the next election the Labour Party must be ready with a vision of the kind of society we want to see.
We’ve got to ensure that our values and vision are reflective of the differing needs of the British people. In the last ten years I know that as a party we have delivered real help to people from all walks of life.
But how many parents regret that they missed their kids’ upbringing because they still feel they couldn’t leave work?
How many of us know older people, our parents, our grandparents, our neighbours who are leading longer lives, who are worried about being isolated, and the costs and burdens of being cared for?
How many of us know young people who don’t have their voice heard and feel that society has nothing to offer them?
The politics and the institutions we build must speak to their lives. We’ve made real progress in these areas, but there is more to be done.
This is the first election of a new economic era shaped by the three crises of our time: the global financial crisis, the post-expenses political crisis, and the climate crisis.
Our task is to shape the future around a modern progressive agenda. It is about driving forward reforms, building lasting change - and a better society - on the foundations so carefully laid over the last decade. As the Labour Party, we are restless for change. We want Britain by 2015 to be even fairer, greener, more prosperous and democratic.
Following the National Policy Forum programme agreed at Conference, we want to debate the dramatic changes taking place in the world. Our proposals are being sent to every constituency party in the country. This dialogue will help to frame the thinking for the next manifesto.
We know we can’t win with a manifesto that is business as usual. That’s why I want to hear your policy ideas. Please read the Choice for Britain document and post your ideas under the different topics. We want contributions of no more than 200 words. Anything longer then please email me at ed_miliband@new.labour.org.uk and I will do my best to reply.
All responses will be fed into the NPF and will be used to help shape Labour’s ideas. The entire party will have a say when our programme is endorsed early next year.
Tell me what you think, let me know your ideas and let’s build a manifesto that speaks to the lives of people throughout this country. Together we can make change happen.
Ed Miliband MP
We ensured a decade of rising prosperity and stability. Following the global financial crisis that hit Britain and the rest of the world, our next challenge is to secure the wealth, employment and living standards that our country needs for the future. The financial crisis has made us think afresh about how to build the diverse industrial base we need. Markets need proper regulation and Britain must build secure foundations for future prosperity. We can use the transition to a low carbon economy to reignite the British genius for invention, discovery, manufacture and trade. There are millions of businesses in...
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We have lifted half a million children out of poverty, raising education standards across the country. Now the challenge is to tackle all of the barriers that hold young people back, so that talent, not background or birth, determines who gets on. We have proved that inequality is not inevitable and that governments can make real changes in the economy and society. But Britain is still too unequal, and not fair enough. Change takes time: the first children to benefit from Sure Start will only reach 18 in 2017. Globalisation can polarise incomes and widen inequalities. There are cultural issues...
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Our aspirations for the country are about more than faster growth. We must pay attention to what matters in our everyday lives - caring for elderly relatives, raising children, sustaining local communities that make us proud of where we live, and tackling the scourge of mental illness. Society thrives where there are strong values of belonging and respect, right and wrong. Families need help to deal with the pressures of working and living. Strong families are the bedrock of a strong society. We should support families, not shirk our obligations to parents and children. While families have clear...
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We have cut crime by over a third, strengthened our borders, and transformed public services after decades of neglect. Now the challenge is to secure world-class services, with explicit rights for citizens. The fear of crime is still too high, and we must improve quality of life for each and every community. People lead ever more pressured, busy lives and need greater help than ever to balance caring, working and living. We will go further in creating the strong society: a one-nation Britain. At the heart of a cohesive society are decent public services requiring sustained investment and...
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We have established tackling climate change and greening our energy system as a great national mission. Now the challenge is to deliver on our 2020 targets, creating a genuinely low carbon economy and society. We need a profound shift: our approach to climate change will reach into every area of national life. Our aim is not simply to avert disaster, but to create jobs, improve energy security, and provide better quality of life. Our Low Carbon Transition Plan provides the foundation for action, and sets out how we will ensure energy security, create green jobs and industries, and bear down...
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The impetus to reform our institutions and devolve power must not falter. We have delivered the most radical reform of the British constitution for three hundred years, enabling Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to run their own affairs, modernising Parliament, and removing the majority of the hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Nonetheless, the scandal over parliamentary expenses has added to public disillusionment. Today, citizens rightly demand a greater say over how they are governed. Distrust is fatal for the progressive cause: unless we reconnect people with politics, we will never realise our ambitions for Britain. Now the challenge...
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