Labour's Lack of Stars

Over at the perpetually shitty LabourList, some lackwit is arguing against the likes of Prescott appearing on TV to give the new regime a chance to hog the limelight:

Leaving Prescott's point aside for the moment, his Today programme appearance was almost entirely unhelpful. Throughout the interview he came across as a patronising parent ruefully dismissing the efforts of his offspring. What he may have thought was refreshing candour from an old hand, sounded more like a ghost of Labour past haunting its fledgling future. Or it might simply be that he finds the amorous approaches of the media too tempting to resist.

But resist the media he should, as part of the problem of the perceived silence of the Labour opposition is that old Westminster denizens continue to hog the limelight. Peter Mandleson, Jacquie Smith, Alistair Darling, John Reid and Prescott, to name but a few, have made regular media appearances, whereas the likes of Maria Eagle, Meg Hillier, Mary Creagh and Ivan Lewis have featured only sporadically. It's too easy to blame the media for continually seeking the opinions of well known former, or no longer front line, politicians. The media keep returning to Prescott et al because they know he is widely publically recognisable and will readily appear for them and provide comment. If Prescott really wants to give the new shadow cabinet the room to breathe he needs to make himself permanently unavailable for comment. And that goes for the rest of the old guard too.

In case anyone was wondering, Prescott's point was that the Shadow Cabinet should be speaking up and taking the fight to the Tories. Which in fairness to that fat, stupid lump of arrogant lard, is a valid point that should be made to the largely silent people making up her majesty's opposition.

Furthermore, Prescott et al are more then entitled to speak, not least to defend their record. Don't get me wrong, I think their record is completely indefensible. But at a time when this lot has either departed to the backbenches, to mediocrity outside Parliament or to the Lords, what else do they have to do other than try to defend their horrific records before the verdict of history is finally returned (no doubt against them).

Besides, from a pragmatic point of view, isn't there something that could be taken by the incumbent Labour party leadership from those who led the party over the past two decades? Like how to win three General Elections on the trot? Again, I'd like the Labour party to go on failing as badly as it did in 2010, but if I was leading it, then I would be looking to understand Blair's successes at the ballot box rather than dismissing the most successful Labour leader there has ever been.

And the very fact that Prezza et al can get into the media so often is not only a testament to their high visibility, but also to the complete lack of visibility of the Shadow Cabinet. Despite following politics closely, I've never really heard of Meg Hillier or Mary Creagh. I know of Maria Eagle because she is one half of Parliament's twins, while Ivan Lewis has only really crossed my radar for his outrageous opinions on journalists. And while I know it is difficult for members of the Shadow Cabinet to get the attention they might want or need, a crucial step in the rehabiliation of the Labour party in the eyes of the wider electorate is that they become visible as members of the opposition. Only then will people begin the process of seeing them as a credible alternative government.

So it is all very well for LabourList to snipe at the fading stars of Labour's yesteryear as they pontificate on the national stage. But until the supposed stars in Labour's current firmament actually start to make an impression, Labour's vacuous followers shoudn't expect anything more than the likes of Prezza clogging up the airwaves.