Vote for the party that gets it right

May 4 2010 by Kevin Rowan, The Journal

A FEW days before polling day it could be no surprise that the focus of almost all commentators is on the choices before the electorate on May 6.

For a number of years, one of the criticisms of modern politics in the UK is that the mainstream parties all offer different versions of the same solutions to the country’s challenges, and that the “left” and “right” dichotomy no longer exists.

There has been some basis in that argument, although the focus of the two main political parties has always been discernable from each other.

The Conservatives have remained allied to a deregulated, market-based paradigm, “getting out of the way” of progress, whereas, even with a more obvious cosying up to business, the Labour Party has remained more likely to introduce measures to support working people and remains convinced that there is a strong role for Government to intervene where the market fails.

This latter point has been necessarily apparent during the global financial crisis and the post-recession efforts at recovery.

The UK does face the difficulties of reducing a massive public deficit and there is a need for all concerned to be grown up about how that is tackled.

It is also the case that employment levels and business survival rates are nowhere near as low as they have been following previous recessions, due to the public spending interventions of this Government.

There are well-rehearsed questions about how the spending deficit is tackled that separates parties.

We know that the Tories will start to cut deeply on May 7, seeing paying off the debt as a more important priority than keeping people in work in a discourse reminiscent of Norman Lamont’s “unemployment is a price worth paying” episode in the 1980s.

Whereas Labour might reply to the refrain by suggesting that “employment is, in fact, worth paying for” and promoting a more tempered and cautious approach.

There is good evidence to support the latter approach.

We are seeing very clear signs of business confidence returning – the last GDP figures were not startling, but they show positive growth – and UK Trade and Investment reports that the last quarter of 2009 saw exports increasing to the fifth highest levels of all time.

The economic evidence is showing that Brown’s approach to managing the UK out of the recession has been right and remains right.

I would encourage voters to ignore the personality and put their cross against the party that is getting it right on the economy and jobs.

Kevin Rowan, regional secretary, Northern TUC