Having been one of the original ‘Worcester women’ in my Midlands marginal seat, and previously a loyal shopper at Sainsbury’s and Tescos, I realised on Saturday that I am once again on political trend as I tried to find a parking place in my crowded local Lidl. This weekend the Sun on Sunday ran an interesting piece by its political editor, David Wooding, about how parties will need to woo ‘Lidl man and woman’ to win in May. I hope David gives Caroline Flint credit for this as I am pretty sure she was the first to coin the phrase in talking about ‘Aldi mum’ having a tough time and turning to the cut-price supermarket.
The Sun piece, however, goes further in arguing that the growth of Lidl and Aldi represents a willingness among consumers to shop around to find an experience which suits them better. The political analogy is that people no longer have the automatic loyalty to political parties that traditionally they may have had. People are disenchanted with the mainstream political parties, who they believe may be taking them and their votes for granted, and are ‘shopping around’ for the new in the form of United Kingdom Independence party, the Scottish National party, the Green party and even Russell Brand. This analogy is too crude, I thought, as I popped into Waitrose for some classy Saturday snacks (Lidl still have not really cracked the fancy olives market, in my view) – and, more importantly I do not think people are ‘consumerist’ in their approach to politics. However, it has become clear in recent months that any party which depends on a ‘core vote’ to win in any particular seat or nationally will face an electoral shock.
Those of us who have fought marginal seats have always understood this argument – we always knew we could not take voters for granted and had to keep building and rebuilding a coalition to get elected. Unfortunately, as Austin Mitchell graphically demonstrated this weekend, there are still people who do not get this. His disgusting comment that Labour could win his Grimsby seat even if they selected ‘a raving alcoholic sex paedophile’ shows massive disrespect for his constituents. All Labour candidates will find this abhorrent, but some of those in supposedly ‘safe’ seats should also test their consciences to ensure that they do not write off parts of their constituencies as already won. Thank goodness for the new candidate for Great Grimsby, Melanie Onn, who continues to work hard despite her predecessor’s idiocy. And thank goodness for Progress’ Three Seats Challenge which, in the last week alone, spoke to over 5,000 voters in 24 seats. Winning ‘Lidl people’ back to Labour is not about cut-price deals – it is about reflecting people’s hopes and fears in the policies we put forward in May and in talking, listening and engaging, whether we think people have always voted Labour or never voted Labour before. Votes are precious – do not take them for granted.
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Jacqui Smith is a former home secretary, writes the Monday Politics column for Progress, and tweets @Jacqui_Smith1
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Jacqui is right but may need to take her shopping analogy further. Would-be voters often no longer link their real politics to political parties. Their political needs are increasingly pick and choose policies (like Jacqui’s shopping) and the individual’s political menu may very well not be a good match with any party. The whole of our political system needs a total overhaul but – in the meantime – the party that best realises this may cope best with the mismatch. My nearly 60 years as a Labour supporter (I started early!) is no automatic bar to liking much that is in the Green manifesto. Parties need to listen beyond the ‘which party do you support?’ question.
what do you think the electorate will think of today’s fiasco?food mfrs in this country don’t just make for Sainsbury’s,Tesco or indeed M and S.they make for Aldi.bought a box of chocolate biscuits from Aldi.very much cheaper than the branded ones are sold for.but cheaper than all the others.i can remember for those of us who were in ‘safe’ ‘thick’ northerners seats.you could put a trained chimp to stand for labour,as long as it’s wearing a labour badge.sadly now they have become robot’s.i can also remember labour votes being weighed.now they are counted.may 7th result may have changed after today.MP’s have’nt learned.it’s a pity we don’y have a Syriza Party in the UK.we are not all in it together.don’t push a stick into the eye of a sleeping tiger.don’t patronise the voter.