The Party Manifestos 2015: Labour.

Politics Yes indeed. In an attempt to be relevant I thought I'd test each of the general election manifestos in the five key areas I'm interested in and which clearly won't get the same coverage as some other things even though they're arguably just as important. They're also interrelated to some degree. Today, Labour published their initial coalition negotiation document [joke (c) several dozen people on twitter]. Let's see how convincing they are.

The BBC

Our system of public service broadcasting is one of Britain’s great strengths. The BBC makes a vital contribution to the richness of our cultural life, and we will ensure that it continues to do so while delivering value for money. We will also commit to keeping Channel 4 in public ownership, so it continues to produce vital public content.

Bit too fucking ambiguous I'm afraid. Doesn't say "will protect the license fee" which is what I would have been looking for.  Plus the opening chunk of that section talks about media plurality and "no one media owner should be able to exert undue influence on public opinion and policy makers" which could be seen as having the potential to diminish the BBC through the back door.  Too, too vague.

Global Emissions

We will put climate change at the heart of our foreign policy. As the terrible impact of the floods in Britain showed last year, climate change is now an issue of national, as well as global security. From record droughts in California, to devastating typhoons in the Philippines, the world is already seeing the effects we once thought only future generations would experience.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made clear that if the world is going to hold warming below two degrees (the internationally agreed goal), global emissions need to peak in around 2020, and then decline rapidly to reach net zero emissions by the second half of this century. The weaker the action now, the more rapid and costly the reductions will need to be later.

The effects of climate change hit the poor, the hardest. If we do not tackle climate change, millions of people will fall into poverty. We will expand the role of the Department of International Development to mitigate the risks of a changing climate, and support sustainable livelihoods for the world’s poorest people.

We want an ambitious agreement on climate change at the UNFCCC conference in Paris, in December. We will make the case for ambitious emissions targets for all countries, strengthened every five years on the basis of a scientific assessment of the progress towards the below two degree goal. And we will push for a goal of net zero global emissions in the second half of this century, for transparent and universal rules for measuring, verifying and reporting emissions, and for an equitable deal in which richer countries provide support to poorer nations in combatting climate change.

All of which is pretty strong language and laudable as it stands.  Except the rest of the manifesto is a clusterfuck for the environment. Examples:

Following the Davies Review, we will make a swift decision on expanding airport capacity in London and the South East, balancing the need for growth and the environmental impact.

Hedging are we? Not simply saying no?

"For onshore unconventional oil and gas, we will establish a robust environmental and regulatory regime before extraction can take place. And to safeguard the future of the offshore oil and gas industry, we will provide a long-term strategy for the industry, including more certainty on tax rates and making the most of the potential for carbon storage."

Err ok. Still a commitment to fossil fuels then. Also fracking isn't mentioned at all.

Libraries

Not mentioned specifically.

Film Industry

Not mentioned specifically.

Gender Equality

The next Labour Government will go further in reducing discrimination against women, requiring large companies to publish their gender pay gap and strengthening the law against maternity discrimination. Where there is evidence more progress is needed, we will enforce the relevant provisions within the Equality Act.

That's pretty good actually. If you can't win the moral argument, shame them into it. Good, good.

"Women" are mentioned fifteen times and there's a general sense of providing extra protection for women through laws against domestic violence, " the indefinite detention of people in the asylum and immigration system, ending detention for pregnant women and those who have been the victims of sexual abuse or trafficking" and increasing investment in care. It's all pretty impressive to be honest.

This commitment to universal human rights will be at the heart of our foreign policy across the world. We will continue to promote women’s rights. We will join with those campaigning to attain gender equality, the eradication of poverty and inclusive economic growth. We will appoint a Global Envoy for Religious Freedom, and establish a multi-faith advisory council on religious freedom within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. And we will appoint an International LGBT Rights Envoy to promote respect for the human rights of LGBT people, and work towards the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide.

No problem with much of that either even if it's a bit short on actual detail. Since it's in there let's ask what a Global Envoy for Religious Freedom actually do and would their remit include the freedom to not have a religion since atheists and non-denominational spiritualists are being persecuted too.

You can read the whole manifesto here.

Still wouldn't vote for them though.