Foreword
Michael Giles, editor
It’s all well and good Labour claiming to be a ‘One Nation’ party. The slogan neatly
steals an old campaign theme from the Tories, while consigning ‘New Labour’ to the
rubbish heap. It’s a feel-good message which is intended to unite the whole country
around a genuine alternative to the current government.
But this political rhetoric needs to be met with reality on the ground. Labour won just
10 seats out of 197 in the whole of southern England (excluding London) at the 2010
election. A party seeking to represent an entire one nation must gain a considerably
stronger mandate from such a large section of society.
‘Southern Charm’, the new pamphlet from revolutionise.it and Southern Front,
intends to tackle this very issue. It includes a number of contributions, many from
Labour MPs, including Fiona Mactaggart, with an article on boosting the economy.
David Lammy’s piece discusses Labour’s need to develop a broader message to bring
the party electoral success. The ‘middle England’ voters in outer London that David
mentions are the type Labour needs to win back across the South in 2015.
With just 18 months until the next election, campaigning is well and truly underway. If
Labour is to secure a strong majority in the next parliament, the party must ensure its
policies and approach match the rhetoric. Southern Charm offers a range of
revolutionary, yet realistic policies which can help to make this a reality.
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