National Policy Forum Report [antikvár]

Preface This National Policy Forum report contains ttie final policy documents from this round of Partnership in Power and the reports of the policy commissions for 2007/08, including annexes on contemporary issues referred from last year's Annual Conference, The documents cover: • Britain in the World • Creating Sustainable Communities • Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities • Education and Skiils • Health • Prosperity and Work We want to thank everyone who has contributed to the Partnership in Power process over the past three years, These documents are the fruit of hundreds of meetings and discussions involving Poiicy Commissions, Constituency Labour Parties, affiiiated organisations and the direct input of individuai members of the National Policy Forum. We were eiected in 1997 because the pubiic knew we had the best analysis of the problems facing the country and the best answers to those problems. The chaiienge this time is to be as open minded and forward looking about the challenges of the coming years as we were then. Things have changed hugeiy since we came into power. Then, the battle was to save the NHS, Now it is to put more power in the hands of the patients. Then, the battle was to restore the fabric of our schools. Now it is to break down the barriers that stiii stand in the way of opportunity at a time when education and skiiis are more important than ever. Then, the security issues and the international agenda were very different from today. Back then we oniy talked about biue collar and white coiiar jobs. Now in these pages you will read about green coiiar jobs - the employment opportunities presented by our response to climate change. It is a fast changing worid. And the political parties which succeed in this world are those which apply their values in new ways, suited to the changing realities and the growing ambition and expectation of the public we serve. We can never stand still while the world around us moves on. There will be more policy development between now and the final publication of our manifesto. But this represents the foundation stone of our manifesto. The task now is to build on it, to keep reaching out so that when the question is asked again, it is Labour who are again judged best placed to lead Britain into the future. Pat McFadden MP NPF Chair