The Future of Labour

Whatever one says about the Labour Party conference, it sure has been dramatic. With a tale of sibling rivalry drawing Biblical comparisons, Union barons officially 'back' in business, and a new leader that publicly denounces one of the central claims of his predecessor, the 2010 Conference has certainly been one of the most memorable in recent years.

The question is, however, where do we go from now? What should everyone make of Ed (the younger, panda-eyed brother) Miliband? Is he in the pocket of the Unions? Is he only interested in seizing power, whatever the cost? What are his views on the deficit? Is he a Blairite or a Brownite?

Here are my suggestions on what the party needs to do in the immediate future:

1. Put clear distance between itself and the unions when talking about cuts - while it is arguably right to support people that have been consistently mistreated at work, the public simply will not treat the Labour Party seriously if it runs to the hills and calls for strikes every time the Government tries to balance the books. Ed Miliband accepted this in his speech. Actions speak louder than words, however. I for one will be disappointed if the public come to associate Labour with industrial unrest, as we were in the 1970s.

2. Make sensible appointments to the Shadow Cabinet - to my mind this means making sure Ed Balls does not become Shadow Chancellor. While he is definitely combative and well-placed to attack the Tories, his extreme reluctance to engage with the debate on cuts will again suggest to people that we are not a serious party. Having created the deficit we must bear the responsibility of proving that we were going to reduce it. Balls is incapable of understanding this. A better appointment, in my opinion, would be his wife Yvette, or Andy Burnham.

3. Take up the cause of progressive social policy - this is one of the key areas we can challenge the Liberals and inflict damage on the coalition. We should be advocating things like gay marriage and a living wage with increased enthusiasm. Put the ball in Cameron and Clegg's court. Labour should come to be viewed as the only party prepared to fully embrace these ideas.

4. Maintain a tough stance on crime - it is my firmly held view that being tough on crime is in no way "right-wing". The overwhelming majority of crime takes place against the poor. It doesn't happen in middle-class suburban communities inhabited by Guardian readers. Rather, it occurs in the most deprived places in Britain. Labour must understand this and maintain our commitment to rooting it out. This means supporting tough sentencing, police powers, and DNA records.

5. Get rid of the dead wood - as a young member of the party I am dismayed by the influence ageing politicians have in the modern set-up. Ken Livingstone has again been nominated for London Mayor, beating a young woman with new ideas. Lord Kinnock appeared to be one of the most vocal figures at conference, despite last leading the party in 1992. Charlie Whelan. Lord Prescott. Michael Meacher. The list goes on. If Ed is serious about belonging to a new generation then he should put faith in exciting younger talent like Chuka Umunna and Caroline Flint and make us a dynamic alternative.

6. Last but most importantly - let us please unite. No more soap operas. I supported David Miliband from the start and thought he was clearly the best candidate. So did many others. It doesn't matter anymore. The Labour Party should for once speak with a sole united voice and get to work booting out the grubby coalition about to inflict all kinds of problems on this country.