The Prince

Cameron should tread very carefully in the coming months. I usually don't make a habit of giving advice to Tories: they never listen. But this time I thought I would give it a try.

Cameron's recent situation bears an uncanny resemblance to that described in the opening chapters of Niccolo Machiavelli's - The Prince. He has gained power within his party by promising an election win and intends to do this by deceiving the public and by pedalling his own twisted brand of 'conservative socialism'. He expects the public to back him and hopes to sail straight into No. 10 riding the tides of disillusioned voters. However, should he look ahead he will see the storm clouds ready and waiting beyond the doors of that famous London house.

His problem lies in that if he should gain power his party would not so keenly follow his 'conservative socialism' model. Cameron would either have to battle the legions of traditional conservatives or, the far more likely outcome, revert back to the old conservative model himself. Luckily for the Labour Party and the British voters, power is often easier to reclaim once it is lost than it is to claim initially.

Thankfully Cameron's efforts seem to be largely wasted, as the people of this great nation will not be so quickly deceived. The mentality of "Never trust a Tory" has never had more meaning.

Without Armour

Whiter than white,
too white,
the unsuspecting hero sleeps,
awaiting daylight,
the hour is early.

Fists unclenched,
shield never fashioned,
never required.

Only the blade of wit,
the spear of tongue,
ever brandished.

Sharks hunt for pride,
the last rock unturned,
nothing but dust and light.

Tories

"Tories are political animals; socialists are political people"

Let us look upon the creature that roams Westminster with a measure of disdain and pity. The Tory is a creature that must scavenge and prey to survive in modern society. It is an irresponsible being that only exists with an alternative agenda. It tries to use its power to twist and distort a public that- thankfully - has already realised the nature of this beast.

It trembles behind its baby-faced leader waiting for a day it can return from the shadows. It's balding head and snarling teeth mark this troublesome creature out in the city. Past pack leaders have been known to enjoy scaring children and staring into lenses of cameras with a Mr. Burns-like grin.

Particularly known for their lack of emotion, these beings are sly and devious. They have recently mustered all the humanity they were able to collect from their membership and used it to clone an even more fearsome creature: the Cameron. This beast tries to imitate socialists as much as it possibly can in order to confuse the public.

Socialists and Labour Party supporters must ensure that both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party are sufficiently differentiated in the eyes of the electorate. Perhaps not to the extent to which I laid out in this article, but then again, if it works - use it.

Ambush

The mud stirs,
a tuft of dark hair,
eyes and a boyish nose,
a darkened cheek,
mouth still lodged,
dropped.

The owner a scuffed collar,
a camouflaged blazer,
as patchy as the face,
a map of victories,
losses.
Falling pieces of sky,
turn nectar sour,
attacks the core,
washes the evidence,
stains of lost pride,
remain fresh,
blue.

Water grows from a corner,
drips a path,
parts mud from skin.
Hair sinks,
deeper into the shoulders,
falling into manhood.

definition: Britain

Despite urgings from both the left and the right, Britain and Britishness are two terms that remain undefined. Gordon Brown and the Labour Party are both keen supporters of defining a Britain of equality, tolerance and fair-play. Right-wingers tend to define Britain as simply a collection of countries and Britishness as simply citizenship. Either way you look at it, society is not benefiting from this state of an undefined Britain.

Believe me when I say I am not encouraging any kind of American over-patriotism, however there are many key areas that a defined Britain would encourage an enriched society. A defined inclusive set of British values and principles would tear down many of the very real cultural boundaries that exist between different social groups.

Unifying these groups under the term Britain would encourage tolerance, equality and the development of new social relationships. Used to good effect the term could also increase the confidence of minority groups, encouraging them to become more involved in a Britain that is theirs also. Society would benefit from greater cultural diversity and respect between each area of this unified society would grow and mature.

Eliminating this unconscious segregation under the traditional sense of Britons and non-Briton is essential to the unity of modern society. As much as independence parties such as UKIP may hate to admit, Britain is more than simply a series of islands. What makes Britain is the people of Britain, and in our multicultural society we must ensure that minority groups along with larger groups remain united under a banner that belongs to them all. The banner of a modern Britain.

Repetition

Four solid walls,
a hinge, a lid,
lock and key.
Secure yet eaten,
from the inside out.

That box,
kept but never owned,
never controlled,
inheritance,
passed along to be
------placed on some dusty shelf
------------in some draughty cellar,
touched only by the occasional drips of light.

New alchemy,
light to acid,
the keeper a prisoner,
------better,
------------bitter.

Second Term

The red beast trembled,
mane fallen,
mighty cry lost in a sea of voice,

an ocean of doubt,
screaming from a tired frame.

Like the bounding insect,
it one day soared,
until its wings – the centre of beauty,
departed,
each together.

What remained fell.

Reasoning With the Electorate

Whatever your political orientation, you will agree that the recent media image of the Labour party has not been great. Inter-party leadership conflicts combined with constant - if not rather crude - attacks from the Tories have shown us to be a party in decline. This image couldn't be more wrong. Our party is flourishing: ideas stream up the ranks at an impressive speed and the party's left and right have never before found as much common ground as they do in the current political climate. We must therefore be careful with the image that we present to the public and must strive to give the truest impression as possible.

In a recent Fabian Society article, Tim Horton completely summarises the current Conservative strategy. He professes that the Tories aim "to so closely resemble Labour that a change in government seems like a change in managers, a breath of fresh air". We must work together to counter such a deceitful tactic. As a party we must aim to relate each decision we make and each action we take to our collective principles and ideology. When discussing successes we must ensure that the public knows which particular aspect of our ideology drove us to take that particular action. Cameron may be able to agree with each of our policies but when it comes to ideology he will be forced to reveal the great fundamental differences between the two parties. This will therefore undermine his overall strategy and reveal the Tories as the tricksters they, to this day, remain.

Together, we must come to a consensus and clearly define our vision of future Britain. Not only will this display the unity within our party ranks, but will also champion the principles of both New Labour and democratic socialism. In the last decade we have proven that a New Labour government can uphold its founding principles within the context of a modern society, and a modern Britain. We as a party must ensure that the public know that it is those principles that have lead to successes that simply could not have been implemented under the constraints of a different party's ideology. We must ensure that come election time the public have a fair and clearly defined choice. Finally, we must ensure a vote not for a passing set of policies, but a vote for democratic socialism.

A New Beginning

A leadership fight is imminent. Some think they already know the outcome, but whether the fight is short or drawn out it will be a fight all the same. How it got to this stage is now irrelevant. The great debate over Tony Blair's decision to stand down will never come to reason. His 'abdication' was never for the good of the party or the good of the British people. In fact it has divided the party at a crucial time, and the fact he has drawn the process out so long has tainted the party in the eyes of the public. All the public has seen for the past year is a divided party: a party without a clearly defined agenda or a vision of future Britain. The majority of the good we have done in the past year has been overshadowed in the media by the Blair - Brown conflict and Blair's refusal to give a date of his resignation.

But we as a party must pull through this difficult time and - although we would like to quickly move on - we should remember the principles of New Labour that Blair and the party of 1997 brought about. Let us remember the 'old New Labour' as it was and strive to continue its course for the better of the British people.