I said a few days ago that the spirit of James Purnell lingers over the welfare debate in Britain. Well,
you can now scratch out “spirit”. The real-life, corporeal version of Purnell is giving a speech in Australia today — and, judging by its write-up in the Guardian, it is one that should have some resonance on this side of the planet. This is not
just an address by a former Labour MP on where his party should go next — although it is partially that — but also the staking out of new ground on welfare policy. Whether you agree
with it or not, it deserves some attention.
So what does Purnell say? Much of it is a straight disavowal of New Labour’s money-centric approach to welfare and poverty. “In the name of helping the poorest,” he argues, “we’ve thought too much about what people get out of society and not enough about what they put in.
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