Cablegate: Pro Union Mp Seeks Deputy Labour Party Post

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R 261633Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0074
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RUEHED/AMCONSUL EDINBURGH 0641
RUEHBL/AMCONSUL BELFAST 0653
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 007626

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB SCUL UK
SUBJECT: PRO UNION MP SEEKS DEPUTY LABOUR PARTY POST

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Sensitive, not for internet.

1. (SBU) Summary: Two term Labour MP Jon Cruddas is part of
a crowded field seeking the post of Deputy Party Leader (DPL)
when the incumbent (and Deputy PM) John Prescott steps down
with PM Blair. Cruddas believes Labour has lost its
progressive character and its ties to the working class, and
wants to correct that. He is appalled by what he sees as the
leadership's recent pandering on issues like Muslim veils and
Eastern European migrant workers, which he thinks only
emboldens the neo-fascists in the British National Party. He
comes to the party election with strong union support, but
needs to find a way to bring in other elements. Cruddas is a
long time labor contact of the US embassy, and a former
International Visitor Program grantee. End Summary

A Reluctant New Ager

2. (U) Speaking to PolOff and LabCouns October 24, Cruddas
sheepishly acknowledged his new campaign blog
(www.joncruddas.org.uk) saying he had never even seen one
until his campaign created one for him. He said his friends
in the trade union movement talked him into running for
Deputy Party Leader and now he and his family were trying to
get used to the idea.

3. (SBU) He insisted he was not interested in using the party
post as a steppingstone to a government one. He believes no
one has time to be both Deputy PM and deputy party leader,
and is campaigning to break that link while combining the
posts of DPL and Party Chairman His vision for the role of
DPL is to be a bridge between the government (when Labour is
in power) and the party rank-and-file. On policy, he wants
Labour to be more inclusive and more progressive than it is
currently. He described it as an "hourglass" party, with
successful professionals at the top, almost no middle, and a
large and forgotten base of poor workers at the bottom. His
own working class constituency of Dagenham, outside London,
is typical of the bottom of the hourglass. Its remaining
workers at a Ford plant, one of Europe's largest public
housing complexes and a growing immigrant population make it
a "safe" seat for Labour, and so it is ignored. Cruddas
thinks this is exactly backwards. Constituencies like his
should be a focus of attention for Labour, both because of
their loyalty and of the tectonic forces at work there. He
derides the "50 seat strategy" which targets a small handful
of key elections through government programs and Labour party
resources. "Why not a 650 seat strategy?" Cruddas asked.

Social Change at Ground Level

4. (SBU) The gap between the old line "angry white males"
and the new migrants is not being exploited by the
Conservatives, but by the far right British National Party
(BNP), whom Cruddas called "fascists". (In the 2005 election
the BNP fell 300 votes behind the Liberal Democrats in 4th
place, far behind Cruddas.) Cruddas cited recent cases in
his district that typify these pressures. In one case, a
crew of Lithuanian workers was performing a maintenance
contract for the government, on pay of 15 a day when the
minimum wage is 5.35 per hour. In another, an independent
contractor carpenter reported his income has declined 20% in
recent years, because of competition from Eastern European
migrants. The carpenter worries that he can no longer
support his family. In a third, a group of 8 migrants were
found living in a shed across the street from the state
school. Cruddas said these pressures are eroding any
commitment in his constituency to a "multicultural Britain"
and feeding support for the BNP. He does
not believe his own Labour Party is addressing them. He said
Labour, after nearly ten years in power, is falling into the
trap of defending its record instead of proposing new ways
forward. He mused that his views will seem confrontational
to some in the party. He wondered aloud how to perform the
balancing act of reassuring his party colleagues while
challenging many of their positions.

Opposes Party on Veil and Migrant Workers

5. (SBU) Cruddas is similarly appalled at what he says as
Labour's pandering on issues of diversity. He cited the
Muslim veil debate and the decision to restrict work rights
for the next two EU members, Bulgaria and Romania. He
believes statements by Jack Straw and Tony Blair on wearing a
veil, no matter how nuanced, are interpreted in the street as
attacks on Muslims, and make BNP supporters feel they have
high level support for their anti-foreign agenda. "I'm a
Catholic," he said, "Suppose this was a debate about wearing

LONDON 00007626 002.2 OF 002

Catholic religious symbols. I'd feel threatened too."
(NOTE: Both Straw and Blair made clear it is a woman's right
to choose to wear a full-face veil in public; their
carefully-worded statements expressed concern that concealing
one's face inevitably creates separation that can undermine
social cohesion. END NOTE.)

6. (SBU) He sees no economic argument to justify restricting
Romanian and Bulgarian workers. He thinks the government was
stung by criticism that it failed to anticipate the wave of
workers that followed the last round of EU accession and now
is compelled to be seen as taking action.

Strong Union Roots

7. (U) Cruddas is proud of his ties to the trade unions and
thinks the best of them are doing important work in his
constituency and elsewhere. He cited the GMB's outreach in
Dagenham. Their financial support to Labour is
considerable. Each member in a Labour-affiliated union
generates 3 for the party - the largest single source of
revenue for the UK's governing party. With a widening
investigation into other revenue sources (the "money for
peerages" scandal) union funding will be even more crucial.
He is knowledgeable about the US union movement and noted
that British unions are beginning to adopt some of the
grassroots get-out-the-vote techniques pioneered in the US.

Bio Notes:

8. (U) Cruddas is a long time friend of the US embassy,
having been sponsored for an IV visit by a previous Labor
Counselor and maintaining strong ties to his successor. He
is a policy wonk who relishes discussions of issues and
strategies. He has a Ph. D. in labor economics from Warwick
University (with some post-grad work at Wisconsin-Madison).
His wife, Anna Mary Healy, is also politically active and
currently works on his staff. They have a 13 year old son.

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