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Champion of democracy: Ed Miliband told the country he wants Parliament to provide what the people want, signalling that Labour plans to return to the principles of democratic government that have been abandoned by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Hopefully the naysayers among Vox Political‘s readership will have a little more respect for Mr Miliband after today.
He is the first – and so far, the only – leader of a mainstream British political party to have correctly identified the biggest problem facing our democracy at this time:
The fact that people aren’t bothering to vote.
Here’s what he said, in his response to the Queen’s Speech:
“The custom of these debates is to address our opponents across the despatch box in this House, but today on its own that would be inadequate to the challenge we face.
“There is an even bigger opponent to address in this Queen’s Speech debate – the belief among many members of the public that this House cannot achieve anything at all. Any party in it.
“About 10 per cent of people entitled to vote, voted for UKIP in the recent elections. But – as significant – over 60 per cent did not vote at all.
“And whatever side we sit on, we will all have heard it on the doorstep: ‘You’re all the same, you’re in it for yourself, it doesn’t matter who I vote for.’
“Of course, that’s not new, but there is a depth and a scale of disenchantment which we ignore at our peril – disenchantment that goes beyond one party, beyond one government.
“There is no bigger issue for our country and our democracy.
“So, the test for this legislative programme, the last before the general election, is to show that it responds – to the scale of the discontent and the need for answers.
“In this election, we heard concerns about the way the EU works and the need for reform. We heard deep-rooted concerns about immigration and the need to make changes. But I believe there is an even deeper reason for this discontent.
“Fundamentally, too many people in our country feel Britain doesn’t work for them and hasn’t done so for a long time:
“In the jobs they do and whether their hard work is rewarded.
“In the prospects for their children and whether they will lead a better life than their parents, including whether they will be able to afford a home of their own.
“And in the pressures communities face.
“Above all, whether the work and effort people put in is reflected in them sharing fairly in the wealth of this country.
“The Governor of the Bank of England gave a remarkable speech last week saying inequality was now one of the biggest challenges in our country. We should all be judged on how we respond to this question, right as well as left.
“There are measures we support in this Queen’s Speech including tackling modern slavery, an Ombudsman for our Armed Forces and recall.
“But the big question for this Queen’s Speech is whether it just offers more of the same or whether it offers a new direction, so we can genuinely say it works for all and not just a few at the top.”
Yes – exactly. Yes!
Within the last couple of days, I was saying on the Vox Facebook page that Labour needs to recognise the threat posed by UKIP in the context of disenchantment with democracy: With so few people voting, the door is thrown open to loony extremist right-wing parties.
The only solution is for the mainstream parties to ensure they know exactly what the people will support and offer the electorate what we want, rather than what they want to push on us.
With this speech, Mr Miliband has made it clear that he gets it, and that he is listening.
As the only leader who does – and is – this should put him well ahead by next May.
All he has to do is deliver what he has promised.
Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike
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