Is New Labour In The United Kingdom A New Socialist Party - Essay Example

Is New Labour In The United Kingdom A New Socialist Party Is Labour in the UK a new Socialist Party United Kingdom's labour come in the nineteenth century when there was felt to be an urgent need for a third party to signify the interests of the major working class population, however after subsequent general elections of 1929, 1960's and 1970's it was named as "New Labour" in 1994. In 1997, under the guidance of Tony Blair the British Labour Party has led to a general election victory, escorting from 'old labour' to 'new labour'. We can acknowledge the re-emergence of New Labour as a party of liberal policies, which is characterized as a belief in legal rights and duties towards a citizen, however the party's popularity has affected badly since 2001 for the criticism the new name with an unprecedented comments of 'spin doctoring' and 'New Labour, New Danger' has brought to it. (Wikipedia, Labour Party UK) When we focus on the public sector response given to the New Labour's political vision, it can be seen that New Labour's public philosophy is a development of the socialist tradition in response to specific dilemmas conceived largely in terms associated with the New Right. This factor should also be considered that Old Labour, New Labour, and the New Rights are all those abstractions that simplify some specific complex sets of political ideas, practices, and loyalties. Britain's public wants the New Labour to be socially ethical as well as traditional to uphold values such as equality, justice and fellowship. (David O'Brien, 2001). Public philosophy also leads it to be communitative including many developing ideas that incorporate the experiences of community action and the labor movement. Community work in this approach is about assisting communities, particularly those affected by poverty and insecurity, to develop a strong voice in arguing for different economic and social outcomes than those they presently experience. (Anne Quinney, 2002) Community Action During the mid 1960s to mid 1970s, community work enjoyed a high profile in the UK. The desire of the British government to address and ameliorate social problems, particularly those in inner city areas, led to a range of schemes and programs, most of which used intervention in communities and neighborhoods as a core component. The role of community work at that time was to stabilize and incorporate sections of the population perceived to be "difficult" and provide support to integrate them into mainstream activity. So, the main problem remained within the community and produced a radical critique by economic, political, and social structures, creating an unequal distribution of resources and power throughout society. The continued existence of deprived areas was essential for the continuance of capitalism. In other words, structural inequalities were the root cause of poverty, where the community work was identified as controversial and problematic, as well as a useful practice for tackling social problems. This tension is constantly played out in the British community work field and cannot be ignored when examining aspects of practice. The experience of community development in Britain has been characterized by work at the neighborhood level and, has a primary focus upon a process whereby community groups are encouraged to articulate their problems and needs that will lead to collective action in the determination and meeting of their needs. Community Development has now extended its social exclusion towards health improvement targets and a unique and central feature of health and social care policies. The British New Labour government launched the Social Exclusion Unit, consisting of a group of civil servants and independent advisors, to analyze and report on problems in the 1,300 poorest neighborhoods. The first report attacked the way in which the previous government had failed these neighborhoods, as not enough emphasis had been placed on the communities themselves. Funded by central government, this strategy is intended to tackle poverty in 88 areas through local strategic partnerships, greater involvement of local communities, and neighborhood management schemes. (Anne Quinney, 2002) Blair has recognized the welfare state in public's philosophical view has been a practical expression of socialist values including "social justice and solidarity, security and opportunity, rights and responsibilities" (Socialist Values in the Modern World. Speech delivered to Sedgefield Constituency Labour Party. Sedgefield, UK, January 28). The public philosophy of New Labour modifies Old Labour's approach to welfare and the provision of public services in the light of the previous dilemmas which public has gone through originally highlighted by the New Right. The emerging underclass of welfare dependants expects the dilemma to move New Labour away from the party's historic faith in a universal welfare state. Thus we can say that public in respond to the Labour party has inflated expectations with additional stress and pressure on state. New Labour has responded to these dilemmatic expectations of public from within the socialist tradition, thereby developing a vision of the public sector that is different from that of both Old Labour and the New Right. (David O'Brien, 2001). The Concept of "Third Way" in New Labour New Labour has enabled us to think in many ways that escorts to a single path of implementing "The Third Way". The third way thinking is actually the reshaping of politics throughout the world which is new to the era. Tony Blair on 21 September 1998 said in a speech: "The Third Way is the route to renewal and success for modern social democracy. It is not simply a compromise between left and right. It seeks to take the essential values of the contra and centre-left and apply them to a world of fundamental social and economic change; and to do so free from outdated ideology. The Third Way makes a departure within the centre-left. The Third Way is a serious reappraisal." (John Howard, 28 Nov, 1999) New Labour evokes a third way in which morally empowered individuals promote social unity, which leads us to an economically vibrant nation. Thus the progression follows from the individual to the company and, finally to the state. It is "the Third Way" that facilitates the state to constitute a public philosophy that informs New Labour's approach to the welfare state and to the delivery of public services as this philosophy reflects the impact on the socialist tradition of dilemmas such as the underclass and it differs in crucial respects from the philosophies of both Old Labour and the New Right. (David O'Brien, 2001). Under the protection of New Labour the welfare state should become an enabler, generating utmost opportunities for self-improvement. We can say that new labour, somehow acts as an average encompassing uniformity towards state, as the state should generate such opportunities that when cooperated by people moulds into a new type of partnership. Blair evokes this partnership when he writes of "a new contract between citizen and state" (New Ambitions for our Country: A New Contract for Welfare). (David O' Brien: 2001) A New Labor government has committed itself to the same fiscal righteousness that has always existed in the succeeding Conservatives. It is no longer, as it never stops reminding the public, a "tax and spend" party. It is now, a claimed, responsible party, a law-and-order party, and a pro-business party. However a whiff of old labour can be felt in the attitude of new labour as it is burdened with references to family values, duties, responsibilities, morality, strong communities and curfews for public in working-class areas. The rich have been reassured as they used to be in the past. The Conservatives will play the nationalist card. They will point out that the British economy is in good shape, inflation under control, unemployment decreasing and investment on the way up, especially foreign investment. (Donald Sassoon, April 21, 1997) New Labour's program of regulation and inspection in the public sector is not limited to the implementation of public policy. The agenda of modernizing government also includes a commitment to regulate the process of policy formulation. New Labour believes that many areas of the public sector are not acquiescent to competitive markets. One clear example is the National Health Service, where the government is abolishing the internal market. New Labour criticizes the internal market on a number of grounds like the government claims the internal market has fragmented health services. The government is establishing a variety of additional procedures by which to inspect and regulate public services to ensure certain standards of efficiency and quality. For instance, the remit of the Regulatory Impact Unit, formerly known as the Better Regulation Taskforce, is being extended. As part of New Labour's agenda of modernizing government the unit has launched a program of "public sector regulatory efficiency" in order to apply these principles to public services such as healthcare, education, social services, local authorities, the police, and the civil service. (David O' Brien, 2001) Although New Labour has articulated the need for equal opportunities and community involvement, it has little to say about the redistribution of wealth and income in the UK and local communities. Figures released by the government indicate that, although they have slowed the growth in poverty with measures the reality is that the wealthier have become richer (McLaughlin, C. 2001, October 15-21. Going to war for the poor. The Big Issue 459). In this respect, it can be said that the new Social Exclusion initiatives and the developments to improve public health are pessimistic attempts to divert attention away from the underlying political, economic, and social problems faced by people living in poor communities from several years without any modification in their economic situations. Policies are focused keeping in view these people so that their economical and social circumstances given an equal opportunity to survive. New Labour has begun to tackle these issues, and their social agenda is considerably more progressive than their Conservative predecessors. However, the present government is wedded to a view that individuals must adapt to modern notions of citizenship, which are paternalistic in nature and whereby their choices are limited by a focus on outcomes and performance criteria. New Labour is primarily engaged in a form of social engineering in which regulations and enforcement determine the scope of the gains that can be made by implementing new policies. (Anne Quinney: 2002) Bibliography Anne Quinney. (2002). Theory and Practice of Community Development: A Case Study from the United Kingdom. 33: 1. pp71 David O'Brien. (2001). New Labour and the Public Sector in Britain. 61: 5. pp 535 Donald Sassoon. April 21, (1997). Britannia Waives the Rules: The Labor Party Has Dropped Old Tenets, So Victory Would Bring No Sea Change. 264: 15 pp 16 John Howard. Nov 28, 1999. So just What is the Third Way Accessed from Labour Party. UK. Wikipedia accessed from < http://www.wikipedia/LabourParty.html> Read More