If the local election results were disappointing for Labour – outside London, that is – the European election results surely leave little doubt about the worrying national picture overall.
For a start, our percentage lead over the Tories shrank from a measly two per cent in the locals to a wafer-thin one per cent. And all this in an election where the United Kingdom Independence party clearly had won a large swathe of Tory votes, a large part of which are surely to return to them in 2015. No one can now convincingly argue that the Tories’ extinguishing of Labour’s longstanding poll lead is just a flash in the pan.
It was to be expected that Labour beat the Tories and Lib Dems in share of the vote – in the United Kingdom, the Euros are traditionally the protest vote elections, after all – but that gives us little indication of how a general election will turn out. That is, if current polling is at best an inaccurate indicator of a general election in a year’s time, then current Euro-polling has to be a considerably worse one.
Today, it is easy for us to be distracted by media froth; by what the BBC describes breathlessly as the ‘Eurosceptic earthquake’ across the European Union. Ah, but we are entering an era of four-party politics, so all bets are off. Ah, but it is not just Britain, you see; all countries are affected. Ah, but we did brilliantly in London, where a critical mass of politicians and commentators live.
All these ‘ah, buts’ are chimeras. Farage will not be the big story in May 2015 and we, the Labour party, need to be honest with ourselves. We did not do anywhere near well enough.
No, if Labour spent 2012 and 2013 with a somewhat unwarranted sense of light-headed hubris over its mid-term poll lead, this is the morning after. And, throbbing at the back of our heads like the memory of that one last ill-advised cocktail, there is a nagging sense of missed opportunities.
We now have a few announced policies, yes. But, four years out from the last election, we are still lacking the full results of our ‘Waiting For Godot’ policy review, against a background of a vanishing overall poll lead, poor economic polling and stubbornly low leadership polling. All in the midst of a perceived recovery, both in the economy and in Tory fortunes.
‘Make hay while the sun shines’, goes the old adage. But it seems that we did not. We are now attempting to make it in light drizzle, which may shortly become a fully-fledged thunderstorm.
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Rob Marchant is an activist and former Labour party manager who tweets at @rob_marchant and blogs at The Centre Left
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Photo: European Parliament
I assume you have read the YouGov analysis so why not expand the argument here, rather than just repeating platitudes we all, yes, I include myself, urged upon the Labour leadership after 2011. It is not too late for the Labour Team to do a Blair and start attracting favourable headlines. I can recommend some of the answers Tony Blair gave in his Radio 4 Today interview with James Naughtie. It is time Ed Miliband recognised that Ukip has to be confronted and prospective Labour Voters told that a Labour Government will not be a pushover for charlatans; nor will they waste two years in Government preparing for a Referendum they know would be a Yes to stay in the EU (because at least 60% of the population believe it is worth being a member). Ed also has to recognise that he needs to speak like he is already the PM. It will be more difficult to reduce the image that he portrays as an intellectual geek but a period in the gym would put some body muscle on the upper part of his torso (like it did for Gareth Bale) and having Chuka Umunna by his side when he goes around will do him no harm at all. Let Ed Balls make all the apologies for the global financial crisis as Ed Miliband was not involved, at all. Try not to mention that it was Margaret Thatcher that removed much of the regulations that prevented the idiots in Banking and Finance from breaking every rule in the book to make profits for themselves while knowing that the State would have to rescue them if it all went wrong.
There’s nothing new under the Sun, but selling our English weather to attract Tourists may be helped by trying to market the weather by using humorous ‘new angles’, e.g. “We Brits call the rain liquid Sunshine” – flippant? of course its flippant but it takes the hard-edge off the actual fact that the English weather is abysmal most times [barring few days in June and August – maybe]. Got to have a sense of humour, at least put a smile on yer kisser [not a Gordie’ one!]
New Labour wasn’t all that ‘new’, the root values at Labour weren’t tampered with.
Racism and class-hatreds have been there since Pa fell off the bus drunk. Ukip are re-igniting Pagan torchlights which appeal to the barbarism in all of us which is deep-rooted and has been there for 200 000 years in our human bones and DNA. You political guys and dolls at Labour are doing a splendid job to curb these inbuilt tendencies – all Farage and his ilk are doing is trying to turn the clock back to the 5th century AD and have a return to the DARK Ages.
Lighten up lads and lasses, Labour are in Govt next May 7 2015… get a sense of humour.
Its-not-what-you-do-its-the-way-that-you-do-it, and us Brits do like a good laugh. Have we forgotten how to laff at ourselves? We aint poifek but Labour politicians are showing the way, by example, for future generations, on how to make friends and be happy, not how to alienate others and start Armageddon-type wars.
Europe is small beer, concentrate on worldly, universal matters and leave the savage barbaric pack[s] to play with their hounds in the mud. Move on [quickly] whilst Labour has this golden opportunity to clear out the rubbish in Tories political tribal camps once and for all.
Or get prepared for Mob Rule on a Grand Scale.
We are mortal and we know what happens to selfish Empire builders when they forget their pleb proletariat don’t we? – from the old Romulus Augustulus Caesar to the new [take your pick] wanna-be caesars, they are all eventually sent packing by the mob if they forget the first rule: We are the People. No joke there — unfortunately.
Rob is right in my opinion. The view that worries about immigration’s serious effect on housing, health and employment are simply racist and can be ignored is almost fatally dangerous for the party. As is Mr Miliband’s contention that paying higher wages to immigrant labour will reduce unemployment. We need to be able to control our borders for the sake of our public services. But we’ve handed that responsibility to the EU and it’s now illegal for us to take it back. We need to alter that situation urgently. Or at the very least, show we recognise it..
You just do not get it!!!The widespread Public disillusionment with politics is not just simply about policy [although many cannot see much difference between Tories and Labour] but the people within it. I first wrote about Career Politicians five years ago, although I saw the growing problem well before then, even at Labours 1997 Annual Conference. Many people (especially of my generation) hold career politicians in contempt as they simply do not connect with “ordinary
people” in REAL jobs.
It is very difficult to explain to young people WHY politicians and aspiring politicians (not only MPs, but “advisers,” “experts” in “think tanks,” etc.) without experience of a life outside academia/ “Westminster Bubble,” – in so-called “real jobs” – have a huge hole in the “rounded person” concept. Unless they actually experience life outside politics, they cannot understand
and gain empathy of what they are missing. Does A Levels, writing a few assignments and a small scale research for Degrees and PhDs REALLY qualify young career politicians to run a country?!!! The REAL wisdom is to be found in the un-elected House of Lords.
In my 68 years, I experienced a degree of poverty, became an electrical apprentice, electrician,
went to sea, Merchant Navy Electrical Engineer, RNR, bummed around camping and on a bike, went into FE e/engineering, teaching, ran a Teacher Training Course, married, Divorced, four kids, fought through many courts as a Litigant in Person, up to and in the Court of Appeal, travelled a great deal, even a Dance Host on cruise ships, “expert on the Singles Scene,” etc. etc. I have gone through considerable emotional pain but I GREATLY VALUE MY LIFE EXPERIENCE AND I THINK IT MAKES ME A BETTER PERSON. Even the bad experience is good, because you learn from it.
The Grey Vote is the biggest group likely to vote and UKIP is sucking them up. I tried to interest the Progress Editor with articles on policies that might connect with older people, but was ignored. Too old; or the young elite “know best”? For example, walking is a major pastime for my age group. Michael Meacher’s “Right to Roam” policy was a step in the right direction, but it did not go far enough. The Scottish Land Reform Act 2003 enables citizens to roam virtually anywhere, as in many other countries. A similar Bill would go down very well with The Grey vote. If many of our career politicians are not serious walkers, perhaps spending their free time in wine bars, they are unlikely to understand.
May see you at Progress AGM Saturday!
Vic Parks (Old Grasroots Geezer)