As a One Nation Labour Party we need to expand our horizons beyond haphazard thinking on rural issues in order to secure a sustainable economy for Britain’s countryside and reach out to the rural electorate. What must be recognised is that rural areas are subject to an intrinsic ‘separation’, a root cause of so many…
Tag: Rural Labour
A Coast & Country Report from the NPF
The penultimate weekend of July was one of the hottest of the year when sensible people were heading to the coast or country. However members of the National Policy Forum were instead gathering in Milton Keynes to finalise our policy platform for 2015. As part of the National Policy Forum, Ed Miliband gave an excellent…
Delivering on the politics of the periphery
Three years ago in Progress I wrote about the need for what we would now call One Nation Labour. Welcome as this approach is, I remain unconvinced that we have a coherent rural and coastal programme to campaign on, that makes the new brand credible. Whilst the Tories take their rural heartlands for granted, and ideologically reject…
Why does Labour: Coast & Country Matter?
Why does Labour Coast and Country matter for me – and my local friends here in Sussex by the Sea? Well, the name is the clue – it is relevant to where we live. But why do people like us in places like this need another organisation? Let me explain my personal viewpoint. I am a…
A Rural Manifesto for 2015: further calls.
In considering the particular needs of rural communities and individuals, the Labour Party must appreciate that these are as much in and of the mainstream as city-dwellers. We share the same concerns for the big issues of the national economy, defence, jobs, immigration etc. A Rural Manifesto focused solely on our special issues would be…
Campaigning in Rural areas – quick guidelines.
The Rural Group of Backbench MPs that operated throughout our 13 years in power did invaluable work to raise the profile if Labour in rural communities. What it established beyond doubt was that Rural Britain faced exactly the same issues as Urban Britain, but that the scale and sensitivity of the way in which they…
The Rural Manifesto proposal: empowering rural Labour
“Your most precious possession is not your financial assets. You most precious possession is the people you have working there, and what they carry around in their heads, and their ability to work together” These words by Robert Reich help explain the purpose of the Rural Manifesto: to maximise the potential of the Labour movements…
Support Us
We can’t do this alone. If we truly are to give a voice to Labour’s rural members, improve Labour’s rural and coastal policy and begin the process of winning support from rural voters, we need your support. In the coming weeks, we will have the facility for you to join online, but in the meantime, download…
Seaside Towns: What Matters to Coastal Communities and Economies
Our seaside towns and resorts hold a special place in our history and culture. For decades, British seaside towns have attracted millions of visitors – both domestic and international – all wanting to experience life and leisure by the coast. But these towns, that were once such a significant part of our culture and society,…
One Nation Labour
Tomorrow the Lords will have its first chance to debate the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill. This regulation of supermarket power over their suppliers is welcome and was first proposed by the last Labour government. It is also welcome as a measure that may benefit those in rural and semi-rural areas. Agriculture and food processing is…