This betrays a significant weakness of those on the left, namely their tendency to seek to control, at virtually all costs.
In the case of Dan Hodges, his move to the Telegraph from the New Statesman lead to him variously being described as a 'traitor', a 'right-winger', 'Tory' etc etc. Many seemed to feel that he should only write what he does about Labour in a Labour-supporting media organisation, if at all (their preference probably being that he not write).
Both the reaction of readers angry about Hodges' move, and the initial internal anger that lead to him leaving the New Statesman are good examples of a bad habit of controlling what is said about the Party by its supporters in public.
A Party machinery that seeks to stamp out criticism is indicative of a Party machinery unworthy of Government. Criticism should be welcomed if constructive, ignored if not. A desire to remove criticism from the discourse because it comes from a friend, shows the kind of controlling mentality that Hayek so brilliantly described in his seminal 'Road to Serfdom'.
Many things in the Road to Serfdom were wrong. Hayek promoted an extreme where a balance between the control of the state and the powers of the market did not exist, an extreme that would lead to a society devoid of justice where the frail or the vulnerable would undoubtedly be exploited and manipulated by the powerful (to a far worse degree than they now are), where the unrelenting force of the market would not be checked effectively.
Hayek's core message was however a true truth; state power is a huge force we should be wary of, there will never be convergence of views around the 'good', and taken to its furthest reach the state could become both a frighteningly inefficient and vast bureaucratic machine, and a cruelly single-minded beast that squeezed out the views of minorities - perhaps by force where it saw fit.
In the absence of a 'common good', which views are allowed to prevail? Ultimately, complete power placed into the hands of the few individuals that run the state (Cabinet/the PM) means that those few individual's views will have far reaching consequences for the lives of everyone in that state, whether they agree with them or benefit from them or not.
In order to avoid the Hayekian narrative from being applied to Labour, it must resist the urge to control where control is not needed.
Labour must embrace the diverse range of voices and respond to them where they have a point. It must be the most democratic organisation possible, and must advocate for stronger democratic structures in both the electoral system and wider society. It must - in an echo of the coalition's localism agenda - promote decision making at the lowest possible level, nearest to the people affected by the decision. If Labour sides with freedom to a greater extent than the Tories, then the argument that they are seeking to control is partly negated. Needless to say, in the case of taxation it is unavoidable that Labour will seek more control, but it should seek in all other possible areas to avoid regulation beyond what is needed to ensure the safety and security of all, and that required to fight gross inequality.
In the case of the Dan Hodges situation, Labour and its supporters, should accept that as much as what he writes may be uncomfortable, he has every right to say it, wherever and whenever he likes. Whilst writing in a paper that is read by so many Tories may seem like 'treachery' to some, it is one of few ways that his message is effectively heard, or should be... because surely the Party's communications boffins would not ignore what is written by a prominent Labour-supporting commentator in a powerful newspaper primarily read by Conservatives.
Whilst party adherents are wrong to dismiss Dan Hodges on the principles laid out above, they are also wrong because he clearly has something to offer. His recent articles highlighting the precarious nature of Labour's poll lead, the European challenge, and the lack of new policy were all compelling must-reads and Labour must take action to tackle the views he put forward.
Labour should make a clear case on Europe urgently; their current position is unclear and incoherent. They must announce bold policies in a range of areas which set the agenda; not just react to the Tories and say everything they're doing is 'bad', without offering a credible alternative, for they will not be elected on the grounds of opposition, and must pose a positive choice which makes absolutely clear what kind of a different nation they envisage (One Nation is not enough without policy to support it).
If these things are fixed, then the polls may change favourably in the way they need to, but what is certain is that Labour's current lead is not as solid as it seems and they will need to extend it substantially before they can rest... which is sadly something the Party seem to be doing already, at least in terms of policy.
On current form Hodges should be welcomed into the Party machinery and given a role around communications, not ousted from the circle because what he says is too close to the bone.
ps. Dan Hodges once wrote about the controlling tendency himself, in his first blog for the NS after a six-month hiatus following a hasty exit under uncertain circumstances.
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