Progress on a co-operative consensus
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
A mention in comments of Alan Milburn's vision of public services provokes thoughts of Progress' conference which took place last weekend. Well-organised, friendly and forward-looking, it was a positive event given a great boost by the opening speech by the Prime Minister and a candid conversation between Lord Mandelson and Martin Kettle.
Alan Milburn did make an appearance, part of a panel alongside Liam Byrne considering public service reform. Here the talk was of putting patients and staff in control, personalisation and co-production. Some of the means suggested were a little too focused on (only) individual choice for my liking - Nita Clarke and Robert Hill were particularly challenging on the use of competition and choice between service providers (rather than within a service, to 'personalise'). But the point - that as increases in spending start to slow, reform cannot - was well made.
All of this led to a cracking final plenary from a co-op perspective. Steve Richards chaired a panel including the historian Tristram Hunt, Hazel Blears and Charles Clarke, Martin Bright of the New Statesman and Brendan Barber of the TUC, considering the future of the Left. Following some useful talk about the 'Active State' by Charles and Brendan, Tristram and Hazel got everyone going with a vision for the Left based on co-operative and mutual principles. Tristram Hunt put this in a historical perspective - co-operation is the base of British socialism, and its future. Hazel continued the theme in her usual bright and positive manner. There followed a bidding war, as members of the audience rose to push the co-operative agenda and challenged those panellists who saw a greater role for the state to make clear their commitments to co-ops too. And in turn Charles, Brendan and Martin fell over themselves to jump on the co-operative bandwagon. Clarke cited over 20 years of active support for mutuals and Bright mentioned the article he wrote a year ago musing on co-operativism being a basis of Gordon Brown's vision.
A good day all round - including several new members at the Co-op Party stall. Well done to Mark, Jessica, Robert and their team.
Alan Milburn did make an appearance, part of a panel alongside Liam Byrne considering public service reform. Here the talk was of putting patients and staff in control, personalisation and co-production. Some of the means suggested were a little too focused on (only) individual choice for my liking - Nita Clarke and Robert Hill were particularly challenging on the use of competition and choice between service providers (rather than within a service, to 'personalise'). But the point - that as increases in spending start to slow, reform cannot - was well made.
All of this led to a cracking final plenary from a co-op perspective. Steve Richards chaired a panel including the historian Tristram Hunt, Hazel Blears and Charles Clarke, Martin Bright of the New Statesman and Brendan Barber of the TUC, considering the future of the Left. Following some useful talk about the 'Active State' by Charles and Brendan, Tristram and Hazel got everyone going with a vision for the Left based on co-operative and mutual principles. Tristram Hunt put this in a historical perspective - co-operation is the base of British socialism, and its future. Hazel continued the theme in her usual bright and positive manner. There followed a bidding war, as members of the audience rose to push the co-operative agenda and challenged those panellists who saw a greater role for the state to make clear their commitments to co-ops too. And in turn Charles, Brendan and Martin fell over themselves to jump on the co-operative bandwagon. Clarke cited over 20 years of active support for mutuals and Bright mentioned the article he wrote a year ago musing on co-operativism being a basis of Gordon Brown's vision.
A good day all round - including several new members at the Co-op Party stall. Well done to Mark, Jessica, Robert and their team.
Labels: Alan Milburn, Charles Clarke, co-operativism, events, Hazel Blears, Progress, Tristram Hunt
1 Comments:
commented by 
Charlie Marks, 12:44 AM
Charlie Marks, 12:44 AM
One of Milburn's side-jobs - as if being an MP wasn't enough - is advising a multinational soft-drinks company. It's a sinecure, a non-job. The Blairites are devoted to big business and to the destruction of the welfare state.
All this talk of speeding up the pace of reform because of spending "slowing" (i.e. being cut) is ludicrous. Privatisation is more expensive. Just look at our privatised railways - a greater public subsidy is paid today than under British Rail!