Pass notes, No 3,044: The Purple Book

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Pass notes, No 3,044: The Purple Book

It's a colour-coded collection of essays by David Miliband-supporting Blairites aimed at shaking up the Labour party. An objective it seems to have achieved

Appearance: Purple. Duh.

Not to be confused with: the Orange Book; the Blue Book; the Little Red Book; the Green Book.

Definitely not to be confused with: Blue Labour.

To be slightly confused with: New Labour.

I'm confused. What is it? It's a new book, published this month, and mostly written by members of the Blairite wing of the Labour party.

I see. Yet another colour-coded collection of essays aimed at shaking up a political party. You betcha!

Who's behind it? The thinktank Progress, and quite a few David Miliband supporters, such as Alan Milburn, Douglas Alexander and Peter Mandelson, all of whom have contributed.

And what are they on about? "LEAVING THE BIG STATE BEHIND", if the book's blurb is anything to go by.

Let me guess. It's ruffled a few feathers. It seems that way. Remember how the Lib Dems' Orange Book annoyed those on the left of the party?

Vaguely. Well, the Purple Book might do something similar. Some think it's already caused a rift between its authors and those close to Ed Miliband who have abandoned the New Labour project.

Example? It could be seen as a veiled riposte to Blue Labour, the movement headed by the Labour leader's guru, Maurice Glasman. Blue Labourites have been critical of New Labour's emphasis on neoliberalism.

You sound a bit circumspect. Thing is, on the one hand, the book has briefly revived the factionalism of the Blair-Brown years. Anonymous opponents of the book have called it "lazy", "idiotic" and ? worse still ? "ill-thought through".

And on the other? The book theoretically has the backing of Ed Miliband ? he's written the foreword ? while one essay by MP Ivan Lewis doesn't actually seem that different to some of Glasman's own communitarian ideas.

Do say: "It will set out a winning agenda for Labour in 2015 by addressing the challenges Britain will face in 2020!"

Don't say: "Really? I found it lazy, idiotic and ill-thought through."

Never to be confused with: Red Tories; the Purple Coalition; Black Books.