The goalkeeping performance of Brad Jones

This may seem a strange title for a Young Fabian blog post but it shows just what the Labour Party is up against politically.

Irish broadcaster and challenger to the Murdoch monopoly, Setanta, today published their FA Cup ‘plums of the weekend’; the players adjudged to have performed the worst across the three FA Cup quarter finals and one 5th round tie that took place on Saturday and Sunday. Everton’s victory over Middlesbrough put a big smile on my face but it also got Brad Jones, Boro’s goalie, a place in this list. In Setanta.com’s justification for his selection, his performance was described as ‘about as convincing as a Labour party economic forecast’.

Let’s put aside the economics here and the unique circumstances we are in. Instead, the politics. Over the course of the 1990s – and definitely by 2003 and Iraq – television satire began to move away from a heavily anti-Thatcherite agenda to being critical of the Labour government. Natural, most people would argue, whether or nor they found it funny or agreed with it. This slightly obscure internet article, however, goes beyond critique and hits a severe level of either distrust, disdain, hatred, or all three, for the Labour party and the government. It’s a very light-hearted piece, and not at all about politics, but that in many ways serves to emphasise the anti-Labour feeling.

Never mind the polls, Labour politicians, advisers, organisers and candidates should be under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge that this indicates. The public must be convinced of three things. Firstly, that Labour is capable of governing (which the Setanta article seriously questions) and secondly, that we have the ideas and values not just to manage the recession but to improve the country in the more typical economic times that will return soon I hope. Thirdly, we must be explicit about the risk of electing a Tory government led by David Cameron.

Let’s start here on the latter. For me, Brad Jones performance was about as convincing as David Cameron’s claim to be truly progressive. His vision of a fair society is no doubt different to most people and now is not the time for government to withdraw.

Over to you for more suggestions …