AFTER a week which saw the British Labour Party clash with the trade unions and as the party conference season moves closer, a front bench Labour MP has called on his colleagues to "humanely phase out" the word socialism from its ideology.
Mr Kim Howells, the spokes man on trade and industry, said the party should not feel guilty for not "genuflecting before socialist shrines". The term socialism could pose problems for the contemporary electorate and if that meant electing a Labour government which had dropped the epithet "socialist," from its agenda, "then so be it."
"I am interested only in telling people what we are about and how we can help get people back to work. I'm not interested in `isms', socialism or capitalism," Mr, Howells said in a newspaper article yesterday.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Tony Blair, is understood to have been aware of Mr Howell's comments and tacitly accepted that the MP's views were personal.
However, Mr Howell's comments were criticised by fellow MP, Mr Tony Benn, who said he could not believe that British politics would return to the 19th century "when working people, had no voice in parliament. That is what modernisation is about."
The leader of the GMB general union, Mr John Edmonds, also joined in the criticism of Mr Howells, who, he said, should "keep his mouth shut, stop the childish kite flying and concentrate on winning the election."
Left wing MP Mr Paul Flynn said: "Kim's mercurial political infatuations have included revolution, then communism, Now to the incredulity of his friends he preaches Christian values. He is entitled to his views."