While this election result, at first glance, seems like a big hit, and while it seems that it might be hard to recover from this hit after so much effort and conviction has been spent defending the ground that Labour has built up against the odds of the past. Keep in mind, instead, that the Tories have not made decisive progress. Even after thirteen years of solid Labour government; after the worst recession in sixty years; after our Prime Minister has received a personal, aggressive weekly bombardment from an arrogant and self-defined Tory clique; after all Ashcroft's millions; after Murdock's stranglehold and the free ride from the right wing press, and more particularly, after the calamity of our bust electoral system, the Tories have not earned the right to govern.

Instead, as the only true champion of progressive politics, Labour now has the opportunity to refocus our beliefs and values and re-demonstrate that Labour is the only party who can campaign as an alliance of progressives who will:

• End the cruelty and humiliation of our busted voting system.
• Oppose the cruelty and humiliation of Tory cuts to public services - wherever they are proposed.
• End the cruelty and humiliation of an unfair tax system.
• End the cruelty and humiliation of unemployment, poverty, post-code lotteries and prejudice.
• End the national humiliation of an isolationist world view.

I am very buoyant at our prospects and our ability to rebuild Labour's representation on our local councils - ward by ward and district by district. Look at the largely ignored results from the English local elections. Labour has made significant gains, taken control again of key councils, and most importantly, have wipped out the facist parties after a purposeful campaign designed to lead and not to follow.

In doing this Labour has had to redefine how we talk with a new generation of committed and progressive community activists, while also redefining how we talk with our old friends who may want to come home to
Labour now that they have seen that the Liberal Democrats are a busted flush.

As we rediscover our campaigning voice we will be able to express again our passionate belief in our moral duty. A duty that says that we should end cruelty and injustice wherever they are found; that we should expand social justice, social mobility and opportunities for personal development and advancement wherever we can, and that we should champion and celebrate the talent, creativity and innovation of our fellow citizens as we seek to redefine what we mean by the progressive distribution of resources and opportunities.

People always vote Tory because they are prepared to be cruel and self-interested (for a time), but we must acknowledge that we have failed to bring the opposite idea to life and show that to be fair can make everyone's life richer and more fulfilling.

The humiliating age of the 'politics of aspiration' is in the balance. We have a choice. Do we return to the politics of the open ended free market where someone will always be humiliated as they get left behind? Or, do we instead seek to redefine the case for social solidarity and collective action, and seek to win again the imagination and passion of our communities as they recognise that together we are stronger?

The Tories defined change in this election as an empty statement. We have to redefine what is means to be progressive and fair, and show how solidarity based on fairness will benefit us all as we live our lives free from cruelty and humiliation. Labour has always stood up for the people who are suffering in our society through no fault of their own, it's time to look again at this suffering and redouble our efforts to eradicate it.

Rob Watson
Rutland & Melton CLP Secretary