04/10/2012 Today at Conference

FLASHING IMAGES. Good evening. The red flag has been

sung. The conference is over, and the comrades have departed. What

difference has the past week made to the fortunes of the Labour

Party? The conference finished in its traditional fashion with a

coalition-bashing speech by the party's Deputy Leader Harriet

Harman and one or two bad jokes. Elsewhere, the Shadow Education

Secretary, Stephen Twigg, discusses Labour's plans for, yes, that

phrase again - a One Nation Labour's conference is the longest

of all the three largest parties, and for those delegates who hang on

to the bitter end there is always the treat of a rabble-rousing

speech from the deputy party leader. It always used to be John Prescott

but today that mantle has passed to the current incumbent, Harriet

Harman. Hi, conference. I am Hatty, 62, from Camberwell, and here is

today's news in brief - it has been a great week for the Labour Party,

and a great week for Ed Miliband! APPLAUSE

Now, I I've known Ed for more than 20 years - in fact, it was me who

gave him his first job in politics, and, you know, when Ed worked for

me, people always used to say to me, "You know, I don't know how you do

it, Harriot. You're so busy with your work in Parliament. You've got

three kids keeping you up all night, and yet you still make such

beautiful speeches, but my secret weapon then was - I have to confess

- Ed Miliband. And Ed, with your - with your speech this week, you

showed everyone the qualities you have always had, your conviction,

your confidence, your compassion and your courage, and when you told

us the story about your family, you showed everyone why you have such

faith in this country and such faith in the power of politics as a

force for good. Ed, we all know you love baseball. You're a great Red

Sox fan, so can I just say to you, you knock the ball right out of the

park. APPLAUSE

Conference, since we met last year, I've taken up my new role as shadow

Culture Secretary, and I was lucky enough to go to the Brits. I had a

great time - the wine was flowing. The music was loud, but I did that

thing that politicians should never, ever do - I hit the dancefloor, and

I suppose you're thinking, why is it that our deputy leaders always

have to make such total prats of themselves at the Brits? And the

next - you know, the next morning I really was mortified, and as I

feared, someone Tweeted about it, "Labour MP in dodgy dancing cringe-

fest." But the good news is it then said, "Honestly, you would think

that Tessa Jowell would know better!"

LAUGHTER And you know, you know something -

people are always stopping me in the street and saying, "Thank you

so much, Tessa, for bringing the Olympics to Britain." And I say,

"You're welcome!" And we all want to say a huge thank you to Tessa

for all of her years on Labour's frontbench as well as the brilliant

job she did on the Olympics. And in my new role as Shadow

Culture Secretary, you know, you always get asked when you're Shadow

Culture Secretary what are you reading? Just the other week I had

an awkward moment when a journalist asked me if I'd read "that" book.

OK. Women here will know the one - the one about a sadomasochistic

relationship with a dominant superior controlling a naive

submissive, and I said, "Don't be silly. Of course I've read the

coalition agreement." Now, now, as it happens, I have

actually read 50 Shades of Grey for research purposes, you have to

understand, but I have to say, I don't think it's very realistic,

because, let's be honest - what most women want is not a man who

ties you to the bed, but one who unstacks the dishwasher while you

watch the Great British Bake-Off. Am I right? I'm right.

So each and every conference has its own defining points. This is

the conference here in Manchester 2012 where Ed fired the starting

gun for the next general election, and -

APPLAUSE And because of what Ed's done since

he became leader, we are now in with a fighting chance of forming

the next Government. APPLAUSE

But - but we all know we still have a long way to go. We've got to

fight the Tories. We've got to fight the Lib Dems. We've got to

work as a team, and we've got to have no no-go areas for Labour.

Because people all over this country are suffering with this

Government. So many young people are finding it impossible to get

their first job, and women are finding it hard to hang on to their

jobs, and that's just the women in David Cameron's Cabinet. You know,

Angry Birds used to be David Cameron's favourite computer game.

Now it's his pet name for Caroline Spelman and Nadine Doris, but - but

there is one woman who can always rely on David Cameron's unswerving,

unconditional support - Rebekah Brooks.

APPLAUSE And - and when it comes to the next

election, I suspect women in this country will have seen enough and

won't be giving David Cameron one of those famous second chances he's

so fond of. And conference, what about the Lib Dems? They claim to

be a break on the Tories, but they are nothing of the sort. They are

their accomplices. They boast of the pupil premium - all well and

good - but then they vote with the Tories for the biggest education

cuts since the 1950s. They boast of taking people out of tax by raising

the tax threshold - all well and good - but then they vote with the

Tories to slash those very people's tax credits. They boast of a

clampdown on tax avoidance - again, all well and good - but then they

vote with the Tories for a tax cut for millionaires. Conference,

people say you get did politicians you deserve, but no-one deserves

Nick Clegg. APPLAUSE

Let's will here about this - Calamity Clegg has propped up this

miserable Tory Government every step of the way. It's no wonder

Vince Cable is on manoeuvres. But let's not forget St Vince is in it

up to his neck too. After all, it was his policy to treble tuition

fees, so I have a message for Vince: don't bother texting Ed.

He's changed his number. APPLAUSE

We - we have a first-past-the-post system, and voters get just one

vote, and we're saying to them, vote Labour. We're not fighting to

be part of a coalition Government. We're fighting to win.

It's always great to be at conference, but this week has been

exceptional. This week, the game has changed. We know we have big

challenges ahead, but we leave Manchester emboldened, enthused and

with a strong sense of purpose. We have grown in confidence. We've

grown in self-belief. This country needs a Government of and for all

its people, not a coalition that plays divide and rule. This country

needs a One Nation Labour Party and a One Nation Labour Government.

Harriet Harman speaking earlier. Well, the big issue for debate

today at conference was education, and we'll hear later from the

Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg, but first, what do party

members think of Michael Gove's plans for free schools?

Right now there are about 70 free schools open with plans for a

hundred more next year, but what would Labour do with Michael Gove's

pet project? Would they keep them or close them down? We wouldn't

have introduced free schools in this way, but there is something

being established in my constituency, and the last thing

you should do is play roulette -- Russian roulette with children's

education. So what's wrong with them? What's wrong with them? Non-

qualified teachers, employment terms and conditions that aren't up

to scratch, a curriculum that's all over the place in some cases, a

little bit like academies. Michael Gove's free schools - keep them or

close them? Don't mention the word Michael Gove to me. I am absolutely

horrified of what he's doing. don't have to worry about a schools

policy for another couple of years. What do you think about Michael

Gove? I think Michael Gove ought to be in the circus. Doing what?

Selling programmes. We're going to inherit a school

system that'll include free schools. I am not going to tell parents good

schools are going to close down, are we? They're already going to be

there. Let's make them work for parents. I would say keep the free

schools. I tried to set a free school up, but it was so political,

it took a lot of effort because we were only a small community group.

We had a building. We had a head. We had deprived children. We had

need, but it was turned down. Wicked, wicked, immoral,

duplicitous things. Can't make my mind up on that. Thank you very

much. Looks like loads of you are party colleagues. Do you want to

shut them down? Look at the difference. Yeah, I think the test

is what's happening on the ground. And we have said that we think free

schools are divisive. They're not what we would do if we were in

Government, but in two-and-a-half years' time, if they're out there

and providing great education and great results for people, that's

what parents want, and that's what children deserve.

Grab a ball, and you vote over here in the mid box, which is almost as

legendary as you are. Shut them down - why is that? Oh, I think all

schools should be local authority schools. They're all free schools

anyway. After all, you go to a local authority school, you don't

pay. Do Labour keep them or close them? Oh, I don't know. That's

unlike you to not have a firm Well, I've heard some views that

are strongly held, to put it mildly. Look at that - a massive majority

of delegates want free schools to be closed down. The problem for

Labour is, that's not their party policy. So not surprisingly, Labour

Party members are against free schools, but does the Shadow

Education Secretary, Steve Stephen Twigg share their concerns? Earlier

he addressed conference. central challenge is how do we get

our economy growing and creating jobs again? We're not the biggest

nation, and so for a country like ours, it is smart to be smart.

Education is a moral right, but it's also an economic good. The

Tories tell us that they want high standards in education, but it's

them that have put standards at risk. The biggest education cuts

since the 1950s - teacher numbers falling and young people held back,

like the thousands - thousands of young people this summer who lost

out when their GCSE English was downgraded, and Michael Gove's

response was to wash his hands of responsibility. So much for "We're

all in this together." Michael Gove's message to young people is,

"You're on your own." APPLAUSE

It's no wonder that One Nation Conservatives don't agree with him.

Ken Baker, the former Education Secretary, says that Labour has got

it right on vocational education. The Conservative MP Graham Stewart

says that Michael Gove's new exams are ill-conceived and incoherent.

We, of course, know that Michael Gove is wrong, but even

Conservatives now are saying he's extreme and out of touch. Labour

will rise to the challenge of every young person staying in education

until they're 18. As Ed said on Tuesday, there is already a clear

pathway for those who do A-levels and then go on to university. We

need a clear path for the forgotten 50%. That is why we're going to

create a new gold standard vocational qualification for

technical -- the technical baccalaureate. Michael Gove want

narrow, elitist education. We are the party of One Nation education.

Instead of coming up with a plan on the back of a number of, we will

engage the experts in business, in education, young people themselves.

Michael Gove has a plan for some schools. He has a plan for some

pupils. Labour has a plan for all So, all schools with extra rights,

and extra responsibilities, one mission. Raise standards for

everyone. We heard from Bob Tizzard about the free schools, so let me

say something about that. On one hand, some of them are good. School

21, popular with parents, using its ground-breaking techniques to raise

standards for some of the poorest children in that Borough. Labour

cannot begin schools that drive up standards and a narrow the gap in

life chances. However, there are serious problems with Michael

Gove's centralised free schools programme. He really does think

that the way to build new schools is to throw darts at a map, so

whilst we have a crisis in primary school places, three schools are

being built in areas with spare places. And unlike Labour's

Academy's programme, there is no focus on schools under performing,

no focus on areas of great social and economic need. I say engage of

local parents, local communities, and you will not end up with the

chaos and waste of schools that do not open or schools half-empty.

Instead of decisions being made in Whitehall, we will restore a

partnership between local and central government and end the

practice that stops good local authorities setting up new schools

And let me say this. Whatever the type of school, we should celebrate

success in academies, community schools, all types of schools. We

will put local communities and parents back in the driving seat.

But, you know, what Michael Gove really wants to do is to introduce

profit making schools. Let me be crystal clear. I will never allow

profit-making schools in this The most successful countries in

the world for Education see teaching as an elite profession for

the very best graduates. We will have a new deal for teachers.

Labour supported the teacher first programme, to bring the top

graduates into teaching. I want to double that, the number of recruits,

from 1,000, to 2000 a year, and then go further so it becomes one

of the main routes into teaching. You know, it's heartbreaking to see

the damage that the Tories are doing to education. But it's not

enough for us to criticise. That's the easy part. We have to show that

we will make a difference. We would help the teenagers whose GCSEs were

downgraded. We would help the parents struggling to find a

primary school place. We would help the forgotten 50%. One nation

education. Excellence for Everyone. The comprehensive ideal realised.

Live your dreams. Achieve your potential. Wherever you come from.

Whatever your background. That is Stephen Twigg speaking earlier.

Well, straight after his speech, my colleague Jo Coburn spoke to the

Shadow Local Government Secretary Hilary Benn.

A you going to do what Labour members seem to wanted to do and

close free schools when you get into power? If schools are popular,

they are doing a good job, course we are not going to close them down,

but like a lot of members here at a conference, we have real concerns

about them. First of all, they don't give the local community much

of the save. Secondly, if you look at the pupils, they have half the

numbers of poorer pupils in contrast to academy programmes

which focused on areas of disadvantage. Thirdly, we have a

primary school places crisis. We have them opened up in places where

there's enough classrooms and, in other places, they find it

difficult to provide additional classrooms needed for rising rolls,

so those are genuine concerns that people have got. It is a part of

the reason why Michael ago of has not done a good job as Education

Secretary, because he wants to take the system back to the 1950s --

Michael Gove. We have got to look after all children everywhere.

about this one nation slogan? Is that what we're going to hear all

the time? One-nation Labour? you say that again? Is that what we

will hear all the time from Labour politicians? Well, as you know, Ed

Miliband made a really powerful speech here on Tuesday and anyone

watching that would have been left in no doubt about who he is, where

he comes from, what he stands for and what a good leader he is, and

if you look at what's happening in the country at the moment, next

April, people on low incomes will have to pay more council tax.

People with spare bedrooms will be penalised for having them, even

though it could be where a carer comes to say, or their son or

daughter comes to visit them. People were more than �150,000 a

year will have a tax cut. That is two nation politics. We should

think about the whole of the nation. What about going on a TUC march?

Why is Ed Miliband doing that? It's a divisive. No, I disagree with you.

There are people working up and down the country who are worried

about the failure of the Government's economic policy,

borrowing is going up. membership of unions is the lowest

since the 1920s. You don't solve a borrowing problem by people being

on the dole. We said use the proceeds of the auction to build

100,000 new homes, and unemployment builders are taken off the dole

queue. People doing the same job should be a different amounts of

money in different parts of the country, they say. These are things

people feel strongly about and that will be expressed in March, on 20th

October, and it's right for everybody to join in. Workers are

complaining about a pay freeze which you support. Being in

government, life is about the choices you make. But you're not in

government. No, but Ed Miliband has been clear about the choices which

have to be made and if there was a choice between keeping people

working, and restraint on that pay, Ed Balls has argued rightly so that

that is the right choice to make. Keeping people in a job, that's

better than more people in the public services losing their jobs.

Briefly, since we had the story about rail franchises, many people

believe they should be renationalise. Shouldn't that be of

policy? We have to find out exactly how this complete disaster happened.

Are you in favour of nationalising? Patrick McLoughlin said last week,

the whole process was done correctly but he announced this

week it's been a mess and will cost the taxpayer �40 million. Are you

in favour of nationalising them? They should stop it, the East Coast

Main Line. In the end, you will have effective regulation, but we

want a successful railway industry. Are you in favour of

renationalising the railways? will set out the policy in the next

election. We are focusing on an effective system for running the

railways, to get investment in new trains are. There's been a huge

growth in that new rolling stock during our turning government. More

people are travelling on the railways at the moment but you

can't up the fiasco we have seen this week because the Government is

incompetent. Thank you for that. Hilary Benn speaking to Jo Coburn.

Well, Mr Benn himself took to the stage earlier to discuss the

troubles faced by Labour councils. Let's face it, life could not be

tougher. Councils have been singled out for cuts in funding which are

not just, unfair, and intrude Tory style, the poorer the area, the

bigger the cuts they are making -- in it true Tory style. All in this

together, Mr Cameron? You have absolutely no idea what that means,

do you? While up Helen Jones is fighting for a fair deal, for

communities, Chris Williamson fighting for the fire service, our

councillors are facing difficult and agonising choices. But with a

quiet determination, they are making those choices not because

they don't care but because they do care. To choose is to express our

Labour values and to show that we can make a difference to people's

lives, and while we may not be in Government nationally, we are in

government locally, and gaining more councils and doing it by

winning people's trust by showing that Labour difference. And by

proving, when things are tough, we don't write people off, we stretch

out a hand and we Polly each other up. -- bring each other up. The

Tories push youth unemployment up and we provide apprenticeships. The

Tories cut that affordable housing budget and attack the security of

tenancy. Labour councils are building new homes. The Tories

punished people are having a spare bedroom but Labour provides one for

the pensioners, rail fares increase, heating bills increase, and the

Tories want to drive down wages by paying council workers, public

sector workers doing a job in one part of the country, less money

than someone doing exactly the same job in another part of the country.

It is shameful. What Labour councils are doing, they are doing

their damnedest to pay the living wage. Who said Labour politics does

not make a difference? Who said we are all the same? It is not true.

Well, that's it from Manchester and from the Labour Conference for

another year. At the start of this week, I said that Labour would

judge this conference a success if by the end of the week we had a

clearer idea of who Ed Miliband is, and what a Labour government would

do for the country. I think they will have answer the first question.

The speech was successful and he has a much better image now. The

policy detail remains light. I'm off to Birmingham now for the

Conservative Party Conference. I'll be back next week after Newsnight

with all the highlights. We leave you with the singing of the Red

Flag. Good night. # The people's flag is deepest red,