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As the economy faces such difficulties, more tough questions need to be asked about what the Tories would do if elected. Their ideology of free markets and small government needs challenging. That has to be part of our job.
It’s become unfashionable to celebrate political achievement, and Labour achievement even less so. And it’s positively uncouth to be proud of something that this Labour government is doing. So, slam me for saying so, but I’m really proud of the NHS.
We in the Labour party know better than most that opposition is the easy part. What’s more difficult is governing and setting out an agenda for government.
Although my seat is a contest between Labour and the Lib Dems, it could well make the difference between a Labour and a Tory government at the next election. In terms of international development, this choice is a very clear one.
Some argue that now isn’t the time to push the green agenda – that all efforts should be on preventing a serious recession. That is a false choice. It fails to recognise that climate change and our carbon reliance is part of problem – high fuel prices and food shortages due to poor crop yields compound today’s financial difficulties.
There’s a loss of faith in the banking system that for so long has been the backbone of prosperity and growth.
The Tories and the Lib Dems talk about social mobility, but, short of winning the lottery, the only way to guarantee young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to do better and to raise aspirations is through education.