http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/21/ed-miliband-profound-changes-labour
Some highlights:
Ed Miliband launches his party on "the hard road back to power", saying it has to move beyond New Labour and commit to changes in policy and organisation as profound as those introduced by Tony Blair in 1994.The full interview is to be found here: "Ed Miliband – no huskies, no north pole, but he's in for the long haul". Take a read - this will prove important for current examples / knowledge on Labour Party policies and ideas...
He also appears to clash with the shadow chancellor, Alan Johnson, by saying a 50p tax rate for those earning more than £150,000 should be permanent, as a way of creating greater equality in Britain. Making the country more equal, he says, is one of the issues that gets him out of bed in the morning. In his first full interview since becoming party leader, and marking his return to work after two weeks of paternity leave, he discloses:
• A commission on party organisation will be launched this weekend. It will examine the rules under which he was elected party leader, including the role of the unions.
• A policy review will be conducted including commissioned work by independent thinktanks and studies by each shadow cabinet member on the issues in their field. "In terms of policy, but not in terms of values, we start with a blank page," he says.
• The review is likely to include low pay, tough crime measures including asbos, and the "contributory principle" in the welfare state.
• His main priority next May will be the devolved and local elections and not the referendum on the alternative vote. He says the Liberal Democrats should change the referendum date if they really want to win.
• He will stand up for the "squeezed middle classes", a group he claims Cameron does not understand.
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