How Miliband can take his ideas to the max

Ed Miliband’s leadership has seen a renaissance in Labour thinking. Big ideas about the economy, the state and power itself have been at the heart of a fundamental revision of the Labour creed.

But translating these ideas into practice often results either in an all-consuming discussion of the problem or a series of technocratic policy fixes insufficient to the task at hand. To move beyond this, the Fabians challenged a group of political outriders to set out their visions of what the maximum versions of Miliband’s ideas on responsible capitalism or devolution of power might look like – not dwelling on the problems, but advocating their answers.

What could Labour achieve if our next government transformed ‘predistribution’ or ‘whole person care’ into a reality that was as big as it could possibly be? Miliband himself has warned often enough of the problems caused by New Labour’s slide into managerialism. This collection of blogs from a selection of leading political writers is an argument for a radicalism that could redefine Britain’s economy, society and politics for decades to come.

1. City state of mind: Time for a serious offer for England’s cities — Jeremy Cliffe

2. All on board: Miliband could be a trailblazer of people-powered public services —Rowenna Davis

3. The whole picture: How to fund integrated health and social care —Mary Riddell 

4. A design for life: A new era of grassroots politics — George Eaton

5.  Capital Ideas: Social Responsibility and the Marketplace — David Clarke

6. Miliband’s consensual leadership style is a challenge to orthodoxy — Emma Burnell and Stefan Stern