Robert Philpot
by Robert Philpot
Yesterday’s local and European elections bore all the hallmarks of a dress rehearsal for next year’s general election. So what do they tell us about how ready Labour is for opening night in May 2015?
Estimates by politics professor John Curtice put the party’s share of the vote up three percentage points on 2010 to 30 percent, but down from 38 percent two years ago.
As he argued this morning: “If a party looks as though it is potentially regarded as an alternative government, it should be doing very well in local elections – even better than you would expect to do in a general election in 12 months’ time. The truth is, by that test at least, Labour has not done well enough.”
In the face of the Tories’ ability to outspend it, one of Labour’s great strengths is its volunteer army, which – as it did in 2010, when organisational effort allowed the party to win a 1992 share of the parliament on a 1983 share of the vote – played a key role in its advances yesterday. But the elections also underlined three weaknesses that it must now seek to address.
First, the election campaign saw a positive tsunami of new announcements from Labour: on increasing the minimum wage, capping rent increases, and giving people the right to see their GP within 48 hours. Each of these policies is undoubtedly popular.
Second, the elections highlighted the limit to Labour’s focus on the cost of living crisis. As wage increases begin to outstrip prices there is a question mark over whether this campaign will reach its sell-by date before May 2015.
Third, some of Nigel Farage’s comments during the campaign – about the undesirability of having Romanians as neighbours, for instance – reeked of 1960s Powellism. While there were some honourable exceptions, Labour’s leadership appeared strangely unwilling to call out Farage’s racism and tackle head-on the lies about Europe and migration that Ukip has been allowed to peddle for too long.
Labour not only lags the Tories on economic competence, it also lags on leadership. There is still time for Labour to address both. Miliband has previously indicated his desire to reshape the landscape of British politics in the manner of Margaret Thatcher.
Miliband will receive much advice in the light of the results from David Axelrod, who helped steer President Obama to two landslide victories in America. But perhaps fictional American political drama has something to offer too. “Let Bartlet be Bartlet”, suggests a staffer in The West Wing. On immigration and Europe we all know where Miliband’s instincts and values would lead him. Someone needs to tell him they may make good politics too.
THE GUARDIAN
by Robert Philpot
Yesterday’s local and European elections bore all the hallmarks of a dress rehearsal for next year’s general election. So what do they tell us about how ready Labour is for opening night in May 2015?
Estimates by politics professor John Curtice put the party’s share of the vote up three percentage points on 2010 to 30 percent, but down from 38 percent two years ago.
As he argued this morning: “If a party looks as though it is potentially regarded as an alternative government, it should be doing very well in local elections – even better than you would expect to do in a general election in 12 months’ time. The truth is, by that test at least, Labour has not done well enough.”
In the face of the Tories’ ability to outspend it, one of Labour’s great strengths is its volunteer army, which – as it did in 2010, when organisational effort allowed the party to win a 1992 share of the parliament on a 1983 share of the vote – played a key role in its advances yesterday. But the elections also underlined three weaknesses that it must now seek to address.
First, the election campaign saw a positive tsunami of new announcements from Labour: on increasing the minimum wage, capping rent increases, and giving people the right to see their GP within 48 hours. Each of these policies is undoubtedly popular.
Second, the elections highlighted the limit to Labour’s focus on the cost of living crisis. As wage increases begin to outstrip prices there is a question mark over whether this campaign will reach its sell-by date before May 2015.
Third, some of Nigel Farage’s comments during the campaign – about the undesirability of having Romanians as neighbours, for instance – reeked of 1960s Powellism. While there were some honourable exceptions, Labour’s leadership appeared strangely unwilling to call out Farage’s racism and tackle head-on the lies about Europe and migration that Ukip has been allowed to peddle for too long.
Labour not only lags the Tories on economic competence, it also lags on leadership. There is still time for Labour to address both. Miliband has previously indicated his desire to reshape the landscape of British politics in the manner of Margaret Thatcher.
Miliband will receive much advice in the light of the results from David Axelrod, who helped steer President Obama to two landslide victories in America. But perhaps fictional American political drama has something to offer too. “Let Bartlet be Bartlet”, suggests a staffer in The West Wing. On immigration and Europe we all know where Miliband’s instincts and values would lead him. Someone needs to tell him they may make good politics too.
THE GUARDIAN
