A report into social mobility led by uber-Blairite Alan Milburn has concluded that 'glass ceilings' are preventing young people from less affluent backgrounds from establishing themselves in top professions.
This hardly comes as a surprise. After twelve years of a Labour government, Britain is more unequal, not less. The gap between rich and poor has grown at a rate that would make a Conservative government blush, a point made by Lord Hattersley on last night's Newsnight. What will it take to make this government realise that the only way to reconnect with the general public, and win back some much-needed support, is to take a turn leftwards and make Britain a fairer place to live and work? There is a special need for such a change in this time of economic crisis, yet the only people making this point seem to be on the fringes of the party, such as Charles Clarke or John McDonnell, or already compromised, like Milburn or James Purnell.
Maybe it's about time that those of us on the left gave up on this party as a vehicle for our aims and ambitions for this country. New Labour sold its soul to big business and the Murdoch media over a decade ago, and it seems that the new guard is unable or unwilling to reverse this sellout, even when the alternative is a class-ridden society that would make any Conservative proud and electoral desecration.
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