Leadership Letters: Plus No L-U-R-C-H to the Left

Yesterday's Guardian had the good sense to publish letters from both Cllr Luke Akehurst and myself. Less wise is their selection of Mike Allott's "Lurch to the left" nonsense.

Building council houses for example is not a lurch to the left.

Tories and Labour used to vie with each other to build more in a year. 400,000 from us, 400,001 from them. So how is aiming to build 200,000 a lurch to the left?

Respecting trade union rights is not a lurch to the left. Striving for a living wage, fair pensions, less waste, making poverty history? Lurching to the left? I don't think so.

Valuing members and supporters views certainly is not. And nor is trying to avoid future poorly researched, badly implemented and arguably illegal military interventions. That's obvious - left, right and centre.

Of course there are discussions to be had about the best way to deliver our shared aims for improved education and health - and many of us have strong views on the public-private mix. And Trident now, later or never is not settled in the country or the party. Trident's distant cousin nuclear power is of course also moot.

But, tell me this won't you, if increasing private delivery in the health service is NOT a lurch to the right, then how can decreasing that or indeed freezing it represent a lurch to the left?