'In the long shadow of the SDP'

Worth a read from Steve Richards at the Independent on the legacy of the Social Democratic Party on current UK politics and politicians of all parties.

It states 'More importantly, there was an ideological divide within the SDP. As with Labour and the Liberal Democrats now, the split then was over the relationship between markets and state. On the whole the SDP avoided the issue because, like Europe, it is one that tears parties apart. They got closest to a substantial debate under Owen's leadership when the economist Robert Skidelsky guided them towards advocacy of a social market economy. Even then the SDP was to the left of Blairite new Labour. Some of its key figures still are.

The great Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee was a leading figure in the Owenite SDP. Skidelsky is the biographer of Keynes and recently praised Gordon Brown's book on the financial crisis in a review, not a fashionable act these days. Skidelsky is a strong critic of Osborne's economic policies. Owen is a self- proclaimed social democrat. I saw him at one of Polly Toynbee's book launches towards the end of the Labour Government, in a room surrounded by figures on the centre left. He said to me: "They don't discuss equality enough." In contrast, when Finkelstein joined the Tories he wrote an article for The Independent, arguing that his support for market-based policies meant he had no choice but to join the party on the centre right.

The former SDPers range widely. But so do Labour and the Lib Dems. In their policy disputes with Blair, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls would often sigh in private "It all comes down to a view of the state".

Party boundaries are under more strain than usual in that they do not represent accurately the ideological currents in British politics. Ultra Blairites, Cameroons and Cleggite Liberals could all happily dance together in the same party. While other Tories would join the economic dance, their obsession with Europe and hostility to social liberalism place them as dissenters to even this Coalition of the radical right.

Messrs Miliband and Balls are pragmatic social democrats, closer to Owen, Williams, and Clegg's recent predecessors. Charles Kennedy was also a prominent member of the SDP. To the left of the two Eds are some in Labour who would go much further in terms of their hostility towards capitalism. In the mix are former members of the SDP who by definition have been members of more than one political party. They are less tribal when the tribes are going through identity crises. This is what gives them their lasting and distinct influence on the current state of nervy, shapeless British politics'.

A tale of two reports

The two reports released in Wales today may on the surface not to have anything in common but point to the need for serious economic debate on Wales’s future; they may just move us on from the current malaise that seems to have settled over Welsh politics once again.

The first is the Save the Children report showing Wales has the highest level of children living in sever poverty is shocking but nobody who has lived or worked in the South Wales Valleys will be remotely surprised by the findings because the fact remains things are getting worse year on year despite the Government spin from Cardiff and London about improvements. It’s even more depressing that these reports have to keep being written - we are overdue some action to tackle these deep-seated problems but I bet we’ll have more bad news before any serious action is taken.

The second is the Welsh Tories Economic Commission Report which contained 14 proposals, some of which deserve debating more widely such as aligning the Economic Development and Education Departments in WAG to ensure co-ordination of policy and implementation and using more Welsh companies in Welsh public sector procurement, but we shouldn’t get our hopes up as anything with a Tory label on it in the current climate is be reported as inherently evil and bad for Wales.

Do we have grown-ups who can see past their own ego and party banner to do some good for all parts of Wales?