Guardian letter on Labour`s reluctance: full version

The reluctance of many in the Labour party to adopt the radical policies, based on fairness, which according to the polls, most of the electorate want, is apparently partly based on the inevitable alarmist Tory response. This fear, however, is a misguided one, because whatever policies are chosen, the response is always the same. Even when Miliband proposes the eminently sensible tightening of the "rules to protect key British companies" the Tory reaction takes the predictable "anti-business,anti-jobs and anti-jobs security" stance.(Coalition rift over £63bn offer for UK drugs group,05/05/14)

    Last week Labour`s very moderate rent proposals, which concentrated on limiting future increases rather than on reversing recent rent hikes, inspecting rented property and taxing profiteering landlords, received similar treatment, even stretching to "Venezuelan-style rent controls" from Shapps.

 Hopefully the penny will soon drop and the Labour leaders will realise the obvious; no matter what the proposal is, the Tory response will be hysterical, alarmist, or inaccurate, and possibly all three. Let them rant about "red Ed", "communism" and "written by McCluskey" for all they`re worth, because it appears that is all the Tories have; they can hardly boast of fairness! Grasp the nettle, Mr Miliband, and let`s have ideas and policies which transform, not tinker!