The Future Belongs to Progressives.....

If we make it happen.

I was at the counts for the two Milton Keynes constituencies - what an atmosphere. Labour, Lib-Dems and Greens were thrilled - and the Tories were as miserable as sin. The result wasn't ideal - the two Tories got back in - but with wafer thin majorities. The writing is on the wall. All their money; their powerful allies in the media; and their scare tactics failed to dissuade people to vote for progressives.

Further analyses of the results nationwide are also encouraging. Young people came out in great numbers - and voted overwhelmingly for progressive parties. Older voters looked backwards with a rose-tinted view of the past - and backed the Tories. I'm thrilled that the next generation is standing up and taking its own future into their own hands. They are more tolerant, better educated, less affected by older prejudices.

But the task is incomplete. Those who have their privileges to protect will fight hard to keep them.

They try to scare people by warning that the better provision of education, health services and infrastructure will cripple us economically. The reverse is true - a nation that invests in health, education and infrastructure is better able to perform well economically in the future.

Their campaigns rely on fear to motivate people. It's the stock-in-trade of papers like the Mail and Express - their profits come from making people fearful - because fearful people buy the goods they profit from pushing. It's now a well known joke that the Express runs its "this is predicted to be the worst winter for decades" every year - not to inform, but to push people to buy things to prepare for the awful tempests coming; it's why they seek to promote fears about being overrun by hostile, criminal immigrants - you do need that security camera system promoted on page 5! And they try to frighten people against voting for progressive parties - not because they want to inform - but, to use the political term - they want to promote "voter suppression" - amongst supporters of their opponents (character assassination of the leaders of the parties opposing them : "X can't possibly win - so why bother" : TINA - There is no alternative : Vote for X and your taxes will soar through the roof)

Progressives offer hope - and opportunity. Education is a way to empower people - as is a Health Service. There is a great truth in the belief of the Labour Party that "by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone."

But progressives have often been outmanoeuvred by the forces of conservatism. We need to think - and act - in a way that foils their efforts. I am not proposing that the Green, Lib-Dems & Labour parties should merge to form a super-party. There are different traditions and priorities. But each of those parties (as is the Conservative Party) - is a coalition of like-minded people. Monolithic parties are not the answer - the strains are too great, and progressives are - commendably - not prepared to remain silent when there are disagreements. But we need to be more open to co-operation for common ends.

Let's focus on what we agree on - and fight for those priorities. Sometimes that will mean tactical voting - sometimes we need to save resources by not pitting progressive against (slightly different) progressive. Most of all we need to acknowledge publicly that politics is not a constant battle between rival institutions (the parties) - but the art of the possible - negotiating and compromising in order to achieve a result that most would be happy with.