Whilst Labour alienates the young and the left, the Green Party becomes increasingly relevant.

Ed Miliband digging a hole

The political question of the week is 'what is the purpose of Ed Miliband?'. His posing with the Sun and capitulation to puppet master Murdoch was a propagandist's dream.

The image in all its photoshopped glory will make many outings over the coming year, with the Sun newspaper being exchanged with whatever topical item is required to mock Labour with. If Ed does not have a radar for such things, does he not have advisors that well.....advise?

As cringeworthy as party politics is, with emphasis on personal popularity over policy, it is noted that his has plummeted to a level, you may not have thought possible.

In the latest Guardian ICM poll the Labour leader's satisfaction rating slipped from -25 to -39 and deputy Prime Minister Clegg slips to -37. In other words, Ed is behind Nick Clegg, who has himself faced calls from his own members to step down.

Yesterday's news of the Labour assault on the young has been genuinely shocking. Their latest plan is to revoke JSA for 18-21 year olds in exchange for a kind of imposed Labour. Why target this demographic with so much stacked against them already?

The coalition government have produced a massive increase in long term youth unemployment. 57% since 2010. There are several deep-rooted causes, all of which serve up on a plate, an opportunity for an opposition Labour party to be........opposing. What we have seen instead is yet another corroboration of the Tory austerity narrative.

We know that the financial crisis was caused by greed and de-regulated banking. We know that the response is one of ideology not real solutions. We know that the Tories' narrative that the national debt was caused by Labour overspending is a diversion. We know that both the Tories and Labour contributed to the financial crisis by taking the brakes off the bankers.

In response, what we expect is a Labour opposition to offer contrast to the Tories, not be more Tory than them.

Labour members are leaving. One now ex-member posted this yesterday, in an article entitled 'Why I am tearing up my party card'

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I cannot be a member of a party that accepts the dominant narrative of looking down on the poor, of looking down on certain jobs, of sanctioning the most vulnerable. This is why today I am leaving the labour party, the conversation it is having is one that does not include me.

Whilst labour are alienating the young and the left, the greens become increasingly relevant. Polling neck and neck with a government party for the next general election, a party they displaced on May 22nd, and receiving relatively high votes in the under 30's age group.

Membership is rising and retention is historically very good. Once people are in they tend to stay, perhaps as a consequence of the manner in which the party embraces internal democracy. There is also a large cohort of under 30's (Co-chair of the young greens Siobhan MacMahon informs me that about 1/4 of the party is a member of the Young Green group). A party that appeals to young people and is itself full of young people.

Siobhan MacMahon said yesterday:

"This latest lurch to the right by Ed Miliband just shows how discredited the Labour party has become - inflicting yet more pain on a generation already struggling with a housing crisis, youth unemployment, low wages and tuition fees which Labour introduced. 

"Young people need social housing, decent jobs and a Living Wage - not benefit cuts which only punish the most vulnerable for a crisis they didn't create. The Greens would deal with the deficit by ending the enormous subsidies to rail profiteers, scrapping Trident, ending costly state surveillance of citizens, and taxing the rich properly. 

"The solution isn't to go after an already jilted generation by abolishing Job Seekers Allowance but to create hope for a demographic that has been betrayed by the three main parties through creeping privatisation of education, higher tuition fees, benefit cuts and falling wages. 

"Ed Miliband has slapped his young voters in the face. With that, the Greens will continue to provide a progressive alternative to the failed austerity consensus that has gripped mainstream political leaders."

And finally, in response with reference to Saturday's People's Assembly, Romayne Phoenix, Green Party Spokesperson on Welfare and Co-Chair of the People's Assembly, said:

"Today’s announcement has confirmed what we already knew: the Labour hierarchy plans to continue with the Tories’ macho approach to welfare – inflicting yet more pain on the lives of those who should be supported rather than stigmatised by the state.

“Young people leave school or college looking for work and keen to start their career are not only being faced with a shortage of decent jobs, they’re being told they’re going to be punished for this government’s failure to invest in their future. 

“We need a completely new approach – one that reshapes the economy and our welfare system so that it puts people first. That’s why thousands of people will be joining together this Saturday under the banner of the People’s Assembly, marching to Westminster in a mass-call for an end to austerity. Join us and together we can create a brighter, fairer future."