Here is the first rule of politics

The Progress grassroots tour has reminded me of one thing, at least. Never give up. It is my first rule of politics and one that is needed now more than ever. Losing elections is always tough, but the thought of watching Tory ministers ride roughshod over the people and things that I care about makes me angry, and I know I am not the only one.

So what should we do about it?

Sure, we can all go on marches against the government, make impassioned speeches and vent our fury on Twitter. But unless we pursue real power, then our anger is simply a stance, not a strategy. Our speeches are hot air, our words are cries in the dark. I don’t want to be standing outside government buildings shouting at people, I want to win elections in order to get Labour people inside those buildings helping people.

And that is why I am frustrated by the false division that is seeping into Labour politics. Some people say we do not need power, we just need to stand up for our principles. They say we need to be a proper opposition.

I think that is ludicrous. The pursuit of power is not the betrayal of our principles, it is the truest expression of them. Surely if you have values, a purpose, what you want – above all else – is to make those values real? As chair of Progress – the organisation that has consistently fought for Labour government across our country – I think now is the time to be clear: Labour values are good; we stand for the many not the few; and we owe all of those people a Labour government.

We stand for the simple truth that everyone in our country matters and we must take care of each other. And this truth implies the necessity of a Labour government.

This has always been true in our movement. Our founders wanted to seize the levers of power and govern in the interests of the many. The true betrayal of Labour values is to lower our standards, and pull back from that ambition.

That is why we need not just to learn the lessons of our defeat, but to take ownership of it and its consequences. Let’s be clear with ourselves. Here are the achievements of Labour in opposition: the poll tax and the bedroom tax; section 28 that tried to tell gay people how to live and the marriage tax break that tries to tell us all how to live; schools underfunded, hospitals overstretched. Our failure has allowed these policies to be imposed on our country.

So let’s spend less time apologising for our achievements in government in the past and recognise that the only thing we should be apologising for is not being in government now. Less time talking about how to oppose the Tories and more time planning how to replace them. Let’s support and learn from where we are in government in Wales and in local authorities across the country.

Let’s keep fighting every day for the things we believe in and the people we care about. Let’s hold our heads high and keep our minds focused. Let’s work together, support each other, push ourselves to be better than before.

And most of all, let’s never, ever, give up

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Alison McGovern MP is chair of Progress