Though Cowards Flinch

Undeniably one of the major problems for the Left in this country is the art of communicating their ideas to an electorate in disproportionate receipt of briefing by the right wing tabloid media.

However it is not an impossible task. Some of the tricks include simple language, brevity, not appearing humourless (admittedly the Left have not always had their hand on this one) and the non-academicising of bread and butter issues.

The key here is to address noble ideas and beliefs in an appealing manner, not adopt unpalatable ideas in a way which appeases the tabloid press’ devotion to shock, awe and, at the end of the day, sales and profit.

My commitment to these beliefs is the reason why I have a major disagreement with Ed Miliband’s senior advisers.

Miliband has sustained attacks from the BBC, the Guardian (are Toby Helm’s prejudices creeping in?) and implicitly in the leaking of David Miliband’s speech, which he would have given had he won the Labour leadership contest (as Polly Toynbee has put it: “why now?“). To be sure he has to act, but the manner in which he acts is far more important than the symbolisation of doing so.

The Labour leader is reportedly preparing an attack on the “take what you can” culture. This is a jibe at city greed and benefit cheating, both of which certainly aren’t baseless. But what Miliband should not do is draw equivalency of the two.

According to a report by the Department of Work and Pensions in July 2010 benefit fraud costs the Treasury £1.5bn a year, whereas tax dodgers, according to Tax Research UK, cost Britain £123bn a year.

Now of course both are problems, but are by no means at a level pegging.

The way Ed Miliband needs to present these problems is by framing them in avowedly Labour language. He must reinforce a set of common sense proposals (to clamp down on greed; to ensure everyone receives their just deserts) while at the same time challenging, not reinforcing, the prejudices of the right wing tabloid press.

He must send a clear message of commitment to a universal insurance and welfare as a right of citizenry – something that the Tory-led coalition government, with their big society programme, seek to undo.

Owen Jones, in his new book Chavs, points out that much of the New Labour rhetoric was steeped in middle class triumphalism, examples of which could be found in James Purnell’s language about the lazy unemployed. By comparing benefit fraud to tax evasion, tax avoidance and city greed, Ed Miliband would be taking the party back to its New Labour ways, preidcated, as it was, on appeasement of right wing rhetoric.

Lastly, Miliband’s plan to pay homage to Peter Mandelson by saying: “I’m not only relaxed about [the rich] getting rich … I applaud it” is so ill-conceived as to require no further comment at all.