Whilst there will be much support for the view expressed by the anonymous letter writer in the Guardian that there is little point in electing "Labour just to get Tory policies
with different spin" the idea that Miliband "seems to be
turning into Blair" is wrong. Anticipating the electorate`s reluctance to trust
the Lib Dems again, the Labour party`s leadership seems hellbent on filling the
vaccuum they will leave, with Miliband morphing into Clegg. The adoption of
centrist policies, often, as with free schools, mere adaptations of government
proposals, means that Labour sees more value in winning support from the swing
voters in the south-east`s marginal seats than in pursuing left-wing ideas to
help the working class and promote a society based on fairness and equality of
opportunity. Miliband`s conference speech included no mention of
nationalisation, nor of increased income tax for the rich, which now even the
International Monetary Fund leaders support, nor, even more tellingly, any
criticism of the Lib Dems for their complicity in this government`s destruction
of the welfare state. With their support for Lib Dem policies like the mansion
tax, there is a real danger of becoming insufficiently different from the other
parties; instead of " improving" government policies, as Tristram Hunt seems
intent to do, Labour should be proposing alternative ones. If they don`t, they
may as well change their name to the Lab Dems!
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