Rebecca Long-Bailey’s leadership pitch is far from perfect

Rebecca Long-Bailey, like all Labour’s leadership candidates, emphasises democratic movement-building as a precursor for change (Giving power to the people is Labour’s path back to power, Journal, 17 January). But this approach will inevitably involve the few but not the many, and would benefit from taking heed of Oscar Wilde’s supposed warning that socialism “takes up too many evenings”. However, one of her demands that could involve large-scale public involvement is that of a green new deal to tackle the climate crisis, but in a way that prioritised a nationwide scheme to make all the UK’s 30 million homes and workplaces energy-efficient.

Such a massive green programme would generate jobs in every constituency and result in “democracy in action”, since it would require the involvement of every household and local community, with the practical perks of improved living conditions and reduced bills. Since the general public lack trust or optimism that politicians can really improve people’s lives, this approach should garner all-party support.

Most importantly, such a route to tackling the climate emergency could go well beyond the UK’s parochial politics, since it could play a pivotal role in helping to ensure that next November’s Glasgow climate talks are a success. Were our politicians and activists with contacts in Europe to lobby the EU to commit to the same target for its 300 million buildings, thus cutting Europe’s carbon emissions by up to 40%, then Glasgow’s success should be assured.
Colin Hines
Convener, UK Green New Deal Group

• Another puzzling contribution from Rebecca Long-Bailey. Surely Labour’s “path back to power” entails having an able and credible leader who puts forward a range of policies that appeal to a majority of the electorate? The purpose of the Labour party must be to win elections to improve people’s lives, not to become “a movement helping people to take charge in their workplaces, homes [sic] and communities”. Or maybe she is not so interested in winning elections?

And re RLB’s muddled views on abortion (Report, 17 January), a woman’s right to choose is a woman’s right to choose. No ifs. No buts.
Nadine Grieve
London

• In the 700 words of her article, Rebecca Long-Bailey offers only one concrete policy: abolition of the House of Lords (a policy commitment shared, incidentally, by the Brexit party). I can’t help harbouring a suspicion that the preference for waffle over policies, and the inability to distinguish between principle and cliche, contributed heavily to Labour’s defeat. They should certainly disqualify Ms Long-Bailey from high office.
Matthew Taylor
Hove, East Sussex

• Rebecca Long-Bailey wants to “pick a fight with the political establishment”. I thought the Labour party wanted to be the political establishment.
Nick Floyer
Chiswick, London

• You underestimate Rebecca Long-Bailey’s support (Momentum tipped to back Long-Bailey as poll puts her in front, 16 January). As well as her fans in the party, virtually every Conservative would love her to become Labour leader.
Peter Brooker
West Wickham, Kent

• Polly Toynbee (Journal, 14 January) puts her finger on one of the problems with Labour: that all its leadership candidates, as well as past leaders, call themselves socialist. Yet their apparent aim is not to introduce socialism in any meaningful sense, but to make a capitalist system work better, both for the country as a whole and for disadvantaged classes and regions. This will surely need to include shifting the economy away from financial manipulation and wealth extraction towards genuine wealth creation – much harder and more radical than nationalising an industry or two. Clinging to the comfort blanket of “socialism” both obscures what needs to be done and alienates potential support.
Dr Dorian Gerhold
Putney, London

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