What future for Labour - part one

Last year Sheffield Labour Party along with AMICUS organised a conference to discuss with various leading figures, which way now for the Party.

Last year's event was quite successful, so on Saturday they held part 2. The gathering started off with a greeting from the local Labour Party and was then followed by Derrick Simpson general secretary of AMICUS, who warmed the gathering up with a good speech looking at the challenges ahead.

On the issue of leadership he spoke on why he was supporting Jon Cruddas for deputy leader, and this was because electing a deputy with similar views to his own was better than trying to challenge Brown for the Leadership when this is a challenge that can't be won.

However he did say that whilst Brown will most likely become leader and prime minister, if he wanted to remain prime minister after the next general election he must be willing to change because we can't win with the core vote, and a good way to show we have a future would be to show we can change by electing Brown and Cruddas.

The next speaker was Professor Ruth Lister, who spoke on addressing inequality and tackling poverty in Society.

She commented that we should see tax as a civic responsibility, and that in terms of policy measures we should look at we should consider the 50p tax on high earners, removal of the upper limits on national insurance, along with various other reforms of the tax system, to tackle tax avoiders and the like.

She also commented that a proper review of the benefits system, including looking at whether benefits are adequate, benefits for working people, and not just looking at work for those who can. She stressed the need that some of the above along with other specific policies for tackling poverty must be tied up with a matching political message.

This was followed by the first of the ministerial speakers with Ed Milliband MP, who spoke on the need to improve how we develop better solution to poverty issues, and the solution we come up with must be progressive solutions. He also commented that all policies should have an equality analysis to ensure it reaches the aims we want, and shows that we care for society as a whole.

Yvette Cooper with her ministerial brief of planning and housing got off to a good start by getting lost on the way to the event. She commented that housing can be a cause of inequality, and that she thinks housing will be a big issue in the next ten years and that to stop overcrowding becoming a big social problem we must build more house.

She then moved on to comment on the unfairness of house buying and that social housing must be a priority, before finally commenting on the need for faith being restored in the political process.

Before lunch a question and answer session followed covering a wide range of area including church and state, labour values, and housing.