Labour leadership election

With the entry of Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott into the Labour leadership election, it seems some of the real questions may be asked.

The 'establishment' candidates, David (Dave?) M, Ed M, and Ed (two Eds are better than one) Balls are admitting that they found their own voters disaffected on the doorsteps. They plan to propose new policies to address these voters' issues.

This is nice and cosy but brushes under the carpet two big questions that have to be addressed first.

To start with, what did Labour do that upset its core vote? Andy Burnham has instanced Brown's abolition of the 10p tax rate, which Brown lied would make no one worse off. In fact, as Frank Field doggedly pointed out at the time, many lower paid people were worse off. Telling them they weren't only added insult to injury. Doubtless there was more.

Secondly, what did Labour not do which these voters wanted done? Ditch Brown to start with (some lifelong Labour voters couldn't bring themselvesd to vote for a party led by him). What else? Canvassing has evidently identified concerns about immigration and welfare.

Despite talking up reforms to incapacity benefit, Labour pretty much washed its hands of welfare reform. Partly it is a question of benefit fraud. Partly also voters in low paid jobs see unemployed people with a higher standard of living then them and a life of ease.

None of these concerns can have been a surprise to the Labour party. Admittedly their final DWP minister was the spectacularly useless Yvette Balls, but why did Labour make what must have been a deliberate decision to duck welfare reform?

In the other key area of concern, why did they choose to fudge immigration, and have as minister the unappealing Phil Woolas, who showed on The Daily Politics and the Immigration Ministers' debate that he was hopelessly out of his depth?

Labour has to look into its soul, and ask: Why did we choose to desert our voters?

Their establishment candidates show no signs of doing that. But if you choose to ignore a major cause of your failure, how likely are you to propose the right solutions?