The Labour group with a different agenda
How would you fancy voting for a party which wanted to nationalise large parts of the economy, decriminalise drugs and immediately withdraw from Afghanistan?
It doesn't sound like the agenda of a mainstream party, and indeed it isn't.
But these are ideas being generated by a splinter group within the Labour party - a group which has the support of two of our local candidates.
The policies are included in something called the .
It's the brainchild of the (LRC), a group firmly on the left of the party.
It's led by John McDonnell, the Labour MP who tried to mount a challenge to Gordon Brown in the original leadership contest.
Amongst the proposals in the People's Agenda are:
- Wholesale nationalisation of vital industries - including the banks, public utilities, the railways and pharmaceutical companies.
- The phasing out of private landlord-owned properties accompanied by a new council house building programme.
- The abolition of prescription charges and the increase of most benefits.
- The possible decriminalisation of drugs, with addiction treated as a medical problem not a criminal one.
- Immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the UK paying reparations to people there and in Iraq.
- The scrapping of student tuition fees.
The Agenda is clearly not Labour policy in any way.
Indeed, the group say they've published the Agenda to generate a debate about policies that aren't currently being discussed in what they call the "party political pantomime" campaign.
And of course they may well have half an eye on any post-election fight for Labour's future leadership and direction.
They are having a North East launch of the People's Agenda this weekend fronted by Ronnie Campbell, who's fighting to retain Blyth Valley for Labour. He's listed as one of the LRC's adopted candidates.
His opponents include Lib Dem Jeff Reid and Conservative Barry Flux. .
Also listed on the LRC website as a supporter is Ian Lavery - President of the NUM and the Labour candidate for Wansbeck.
He's standing there against Liberal Democrat councillor Simon Reed and Conservative party worker and businessman Campbell Storey. .
Now, I have no idea whether Ronnie Campbell and Ian Lavery are sympathetic to every policy listed in the People's Agenda.
Or indeed whether they've read every word of it.
Indeed there seems to be one section that definitely wouldn't meet their approval.
Because the two former miners, who both want to see new pits open, might want to take a close look at the section about the environment.
It talks about switching away from fossil fuels like...err... coal!
I'm Richard Moss, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
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