Jon Cruddas - pictured left - sets out his political stall in an interview in New Statesman this week. The Labour deputy leadership contender talks a good ‘inside left’ game and generally ramps up his proletarian credentials.
Some of his specific policy proposals – most notably regularising the status of illegal immigrants in the UK and building more council houses – are at least worthy of critical support from socialists.
Also noteworthy is his demand – as the sole backbencher in a declared field of five – that the other wannabes relinquish their positions, so that they cannot use office as an excuse to duck a serious debate:
"We're going to lose this opportunity to renew the party. The remedy is to use the deputy leadership to get them all to resign … They should all walk out and we should all have a genuine debate, rather than all this briefing, leaking and playing both sides: in the cabinet and simultaneously out of the cabinet.
"They're playing smoke and mirrors to find themselves. After ten years of doing the nodding-dog routine, they try to reinvent themselves as more radical."
He would say that, wouldn't he? Talk of reinvention is a bit rich coming from an erstwhile Blair fixer. Some of us still need some convincing that Cruddas has undergone a genuine epiphany.
His most interesting comment of the lot is the insistence that Gordon Brown cannot take his support for granted in the race for the prime ministership:
"I want to hear what John McDonnell has to say, or anyone else who comes in, like Michael Meacher."
Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has yet formally to throw his hat into the deputy leadership ring, despite earlier predictions. I guess I could find myself backing Cruddas yet.
Comments (20)
Glad to hear you found his argument so convincing. I think his position on council housing is one that pre-dates his election campaign. It's got to be just the result of seeing what lack of new housing is doing in his constituency.
I was really impressed by the idea of a duty on health authorities to reduce health inequalities.
I'd be very surprised if Corbyn does make a run now. I think he'd have far less of a chance than John McD of getting the nominations, as I imagine that some campaign group MPs have already pledged to support Jon.
I've blogged this too over here href="http://the-daily.org/2007/02/01/cruddas-slams-smoke-and-mirrors
Hooray! Glad you're considering backing Jon Cruddas. Brilliant news!
He cannot possibly expect to be taken seriously when he says he wants to hear what McDonnell says. Jon was the guy who carried every conference for 94 to 97 for the leadership.
This is bullshit for votes, nothing more.
Osler talks up Cruddas.
Who will be more right ten years hence?
At what point will you slip right of Luke Akehurst's blog?
I think i will be supporting Cruddas. (obvioulsy i am not an individual memebr,, but I am an activist in an importnat affilaited union)
yes he has historically been pro-Blair, but in the last couple of years he has critiqued new-Labour and argued for a return to polices that benefit the working class.
Colleagues in the GMB also tell me that Cruddas is someone who has been easy to work with in a practical constructive way against the BNP.
Obvioulsy we shouldn't expect too much, and Dave is right that we should be sceptical about the sincerity of his conversion on the road to damascus. but ....
He is emerging as the frontrunner candidate for those in the movement who want to see change, and given his post is largely symbolic, he may get a good vote.
All of the left will benefit if there is a credible vote for a candidate arguing against New Labour - it is the best context for all of us, whther we are in or out of the labour Party
Am I talking Cruddas up, Southpaw? No, I'm saying he's the best of a bad bunch. But Andy puts it persuasively enough. If Corbyn doesn't declare, Cruddas is the activist choice.
To 'talk up' = to bang the drum for or to increase prospects of.
You have talked him up, in this article, by concentrating on "some" of his statements - on immigrants and council houses.
Would you follow the 'best of the bad bunch' line generally? e.g. Billy Bragg's - vote LibDem when Labour can't win a seat. If Cruddas falls under a bus, would you be voting for - I don't know - Hain?
Socialists have minimums they don't cross. And that doesn't involve supporting slippery chancers like Cruddas. Do you really believe he thinks what he says or would do it if elected? And do you think that is good enough?
SohPaw,
It is n the personaity of Cruddas, or even the oprospect shtta he may be nay good that matters.
To many voters Cruddas will be the candidate most assocaited with the change they need to see in the oarty,
He is therefore could be te barometer that reads the strengt of oppositio towrds business as usual. SAnd if e actually wins, Brown's authority will e much eweaker, and his ability to trest the crushinf of McDonnell as a mandate will be much diminished..
Blimey. Who ate Andy's posting?
Socialists have minimums they don't cross
Do we? We may, but it would be very hard to define them.
You have GOT to be kidding me Dave. You're going to vote for a candidate who wants to CUT the organised labour movement's voice in the Labour Party? You don't GET that Cruddas is a ringer who will do exactly what all the right-wing candidates will do in terms of breaking up the historic labour movement coalition?
Maybe you really do get more right wing as you get older...
How more right-wing can Cruddas be whe he voted:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/jon_cruddas/dagenham
Moderately for introducing ID cards.
Very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
Quite strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
Very strongly for the Iraq war.
Very strongly against investigating the Iraq war.
Don't fool yourselves, he doesn't fool me.
Quite a lot of new housing has been built in recent years in Cruddas' constituency. Where a tower block car park used to be, now find pokey 'affordable' maisonettes on a "part-buy part-rent" basis, 'funded by the office of the deputy prime minister', where allotments used to be, ditto. Old school playing fields, ditto. Where fields (yes, fields!) used to be, directly alongside train lines, where houses and flats were never built before, presumably it's not very nice to have to live next to passenger and freight trains going past your bedroom window 24 hours a day, new houses/flats have/are being built. Behind 1920s council houses, i.e. almost literally in other people's back gardens.
Just get the District line from Becontree to Elm Park, you'll see.
Thats too far east into BNP land for me, don't tend to venture past East Ham. Maybe Ill give it a try some day, any nice coffee bars there?
Obviously not, Paddy.
Coffee? You have to invest a lot of time just to search for a pub. Though there is a very grotty caff directly to the right of Heathway station. Don't touch the food. And there's a pie & mash place a bit further down. They might do tea, but only if you take pie, mash, and "licker" (the snot-like herb-based sauce) to go with it. That's it.
I used to live next door to a pie and mash, the stench that came from it smelt like sewage! Much prefer Hackney kebab houses!
I went to a demo at fords few years back, remember there were only couple of makny pubs flying St. Georges flags and Union Jacks.
No mention of Jon's support for the Iraq War in the interview - dereliction of duty by the New Statesman!
Badmat, they ALL voted for the Iraq war. At least Jon Cruddas has the guts to publicly admit he made a mistake in doing so.
they ALL voted for the Iraq war
True - that's one of the reasons why I for one won't be voting for any of the currently declared candidates for deputy leader. If one of the 139 Labour MPs who took the honourable and right decision to oppose the war should decide to throw their hat into the ring, then of course I'll give them due consideration. But until then I'm voting McDonnell for leader and NOTA for deputy.
Well let's see what Cruddas has to say today on the politics show - from the clip I've seen on bbc news its full of preaise for how blair is handling the loans4peerages stuff.
I don't think Cruddas will stay left its just positioning for votes - but he's still the least worst candidate - many of the people I know will be going on the same route as u volty nota - but I think I'll prob vote for him as least worst - unless someone else throws their hat in - don't see that happening tho
Watch Tony Benn on the John4Leader campaign on ITV's 'The Sunday Show' - on in 2 minutes...