The Election

Can someone explain how we've managed to end up with the most boring and
seemingly irrelevant election campaign in history?

With Michael Howard acting like a stupid schoolboy calling Tony Blair a
liar [1] and the Lib Dems marching off into the desert over Iraq I am
beginning to wonder when someone will say something that actually
matters to me as a voter.

To think we've got another week of this clap trap [2] - is anyone
finding it interesting / thought provoking?

[1] I feel like sending him an E Mail to tell him to grow up.
[2] if this is what you get when you combine American and Australian
electioneering techniques then can someone bomb America and Australia
please.

 

The tories round here have got a nerve: assuming I might vote some
**** named "Archer", ffs.
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Thank ****. It's not just me thinking that, then.

 

Not the election as such but I received an email, today, from an old
comrade appealing to the left to vote Labour - which as you can imagine
is a real struggle given the New Labour love of business, their
complicity in perpetuating Tory policies etc. - the email was thought
provoking.

It was almost a personal manifesto for this individual and as 'old'
labour, party member and activist in the movement it struck a real chord
with me - perhaps it sounds a little clumsy and anachronistic to some but
there is something worth fighting for and we (as politicised people) need
to re-engage others in the parliamentary political process.

The choice, for me, is pretty clear: do we turn the clock back to the
eighties or do we take back the Labour party and get on with what should
have been done in 1997.

We can't afford ourselves the luxury of apathy, gesture politics or
impossibilism - in a Labour marginal any of these actions let the Tories
back in, which would be a disaster.

This is what this old friend had to say on the matter (bear in mind the
target audience isn't IT EKS):

"...

On May 5th, I will be voting for the Labour Party in the General
Election, and not for a personality.

So far the election has focussed on the personalities of the Leaders of
the Parties. The Tories have exploited a situation on Blair integrity,
and conduct as Prime Minister. In fact the negative campaigning that they
have employed, has promoted the theme that this is not a general
election, but a protest vote, against the Prime Minister. A very
successful tactic they have pinched from Australia. Even their manifesto
is a collection of protest grievances, not a wish list for the future.

It can be argued that Blair has gifted them an opportunity with his
actions on Iraq, and the subsequent mess that has been created ever
since, despite failing to heed the warnings, of millions of people who
marched in February 2003, and the vast majority of public opinion on this
matter.

It was argued that amongst many white working class males, the war was
not an issue, however amongst women it was. However if you analyse what
has taken place since, and if the opinion polls are correct on what
peoples intentions are, the women's vote, is largely still undecided, or
moving away to the Lib Dems, on issues such as the war, and the question
of trust and integrity. Whilst with males the move away from Labour is
because of other grievances, whilst some are protesting against the war.

It has become clear, and what many have thought in the Labour movement
for a long time, Blair "personal" bubble has burst, his personal appeal
is not the magic wand it once was for some. The major problem are, his
long resignation notice, along with peoples views over his version of the
facts on going to war. This may also be coupled with many other
grievances amongst key Labour supporters, in the heartlands, and the
union movement, were they feel they have been ignored, and taken for
granted.

Blair knows himself that his personal popularity, is an issue, hence his
unusual, repeated appearances with Brown, and other key Labour
heavyweights, very much giving the impression that he has comfort
blankets surrounding him. Whilst the Lib dems have fought a campaign, by
saying very little, and not promoting themselves strongly, and giving the
impression that they are nice cream cake, however ask people what the
taste of the cake is like, especially in areas where they have local
authority control. Its also not enough to say you were against the war,
where were they when war the broke out, the silence was deafening.

The chickens are coming home to roost for the New Labour luvvies, you
cannot fight an effective campaign, on perceived substance and policy,
when you don't have an organisation. The destruction of the party
internally, and the disaffection of party membership, has lead to a
virtual reality election campaign, nothing on the ground, but plenty on
the TV and radio. What's the point in getting a whiff, when you cant also
touch it. Remote politics suit the Tories, because they are remote from
most people and only represent a small section of society.

The impression given from new labour is that this election is about
survival, not progression for a third term. Negative defences, don't win
you many games.

Despite all this, why I will vote labour on May 5th, is for the following
reasons, I am unfortunate to remember how I felt, when Thatcher was
elected to power in May 1979, and the destruction the Tory government
reaped upon our country. I am an active trade unionist, so I have a say
in our movement, if I want to protest I can do so through that channel of
communication. I am a member of the Labour Party, I can air my grievance
that way too. Despite, the illegal war, despite the lack of progress on
workers rights, fair employment practices, defence of manufacturing, my
reservations over privatisation of public services, and the stupid stance
of aping the Tories and the far right on immigration and asylum, I know
these are political differences that can be overcome, from good politics
replacing eventually, bad politics, and through involving people in the
democratic process, encouraging good polices, developing good
organisation, and a mass party membership.

However, what always frightens me, is the way that the Tory nasty party,
has portrayed a return to their values of the 80s and the 90s. It will be
a hammer blow to trade unionists and working people in general, with
employment again put a risk, creating a fear amongst the workforce,
reduced rights for workers, and further introductions of anti union
legislation, coupled with an unstable economy, repossessions of homes,
shy high interest rates, and a slash and burn approach to our public
services in health, education and local government.

There are those that believe working people only learn through mistakes,
well I lived through the mistakes of the 80s and the 90s, so did many
millions of others, people condemned to a life time of poverty, and
unemployment, our industries asset stripped and decimated, because in the
main, they were unionised. Our local government, reduced to nothing more
than quangos and agencies, our NHS reduced to a demoralised, third class
service. It was a grey, dull, hopeless society, with no ideals, just
brutal punishment, for not being privileged by an accident of birth or by
wealth, or by both. The last thing I want, is to see a mistake being
repeated, I don't and others don't, need to learn anymore lessons the
hard way.

Protest and grievance in this election is being organised by the Tories,
and the Lib Dems, we in the labour and trade union movement should not be
sucked into this negative stance. In our movement we have the mechanisms
and the democracy to do that through our organisations. However, I
understand those in our movement feeling frustrated. Many knowing full
well, if they do that, they may help the Tories get power by default, to
teach Blair a lesson, or giving the Lib Dems, a larger presence in
parliament by hurting the Labour vote. I assume that there will also be
many in our movement who are torn completely over these dilemmas, and are
struggling to vote at all.

I hope and I remain optimistic, that working people, trade unionists and
traditional supporters will realise very quickly, and put aside their
frustrations this time before its too late, and that their good common
sense will prevail and that they will be persuaded to vote for labour,
and, that we are voting for a chance to try and put substance with good
policies back into politics, and that politics not personality will win
through. There is a lot to do in the third term, many of us will be
voting to implement the Warwick agreement, other social improvements,
with social justice, attempting to eventually win our arguments on
redistribution of wealth, and starting a war on poverty and a return to
an ethical foreign policy. These are chances we can win, as a collective
movement, and whilst in power too.

New labour is on its way out, a victory for the Labour Party is not a
vindication for New Labour, or the war, that does not wash with anyone.
The Labour movement and the party is bigger than any one individual, we
are not very traditional when it comes to personalities, and its not in
our collective interests, to turn this election into a personality
contest or a protest, or to turn Blair personal suicide note, into a
suicide pact for the whole of our movement, and the millions of working
people and the nation in general, who need us in Power.

This is a political contest, with two choices, we have, as in any
mainstream two party state, do we have the nasty Tories, aping some of
the BNP policies, serving the rich and privilege in society, that will
govern the majority for the sake of the privilege few. With a return to
the bad old, dark days of the 80s and 90s. Or do you want a government,
where we the Labour movement have a chance of asserting our considerable
influence, taking an active part in arguing for progressive policies, on
behalf of the majority of us in society, whatever background we come.
That's why I am voting Labour, not Personal

..."

 

Paul Corfield emerged from their own little world to say

Yesterday you wanted to kill children, now genocide.

Who's next?

 

Paul Corfield wrote

No but the Reith Lectures this year rock, as usual.

 

<snip wishful thinking that Labour will one day return to the left>

Hmm.

 

Thanks for sharing that, it was. But it's also posed a whole series of
questions. A quick slash and snip of points that deserve further
discussion.

How do you 'take back the Labour party'

No chance of the Tories here. Possibly Lib Dems.

snip personality election

snip war issues

snip male/female voting trends

snip Blair's image

snip lib dem war issues

Agreed. I wonder what on the ground campigning is going on, given the
disheartened activists.

How? And 'eventually' - how long do you want, you've had 8 years in
power.

snip the new tories same as the old tories

snip a grey, dull, hopeless society

Is what I've heard locally.

I'm more and more convinced there's a third.

 

steve auvache said...

They do, at that.

Radio 4 alone is worth the licence fee, imo.

 

MattG wrote

World Service dear boy, I wouldn't recommend you listen to RL on any
other station.

 

I'd vote ANYTHING but labour out of protest of many within the current
strucutre of goverment being a load of complacent and lying cunts not worthy
of remaining in power. Hiding behind a socialist and labour image is a nice
sugar coated ideology, but you said it yourself - new tory policy under a
labour veil. But while other questionable motivations behind the labour
leader still stand out besides potential war crimes - possibly even
monetary - how can anyone righteously vote labour?

But I won't deny that they have gone somewhat in modernising the image of
government etc, and pulling us away from the stuffy approach of the tories
and maybe even some worthwhile change in government, if at all. I feel
though that even the tories would make a worthwhile change at this point if
only to give the other party an opportunity to shake itself together ready
for another election as a more viable option.

Any government that could allow so many scandals as we have seen in the
recent running years and have such front faking (err did I mean facing)
jokers deserves a flushing just out of principle. I'm hoping that will
happen at this GA I really do as I'd really like to see Tory Blair removed
from any responsible area of goverment. I don't really want to vote tory,
but like some have said to me if I vote anything else its a wasted vote in
many respects.

 

Have you also sent one to Bliar to ask him to stop being a liar?

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Give back party politics with representatives who do what the party
members want.

If the population see local involvement brings about change that effects
them it may bring about more involvement. In many ways this point is
illustrated by Dr. Taylor MP as the independent in Kidderminster
(although I suspect he may lose his seat).

Return real influence and power to local government and remove the myth
of "they" as some omnipotent governmental power.

This is a toughie - it won't be overnight. I suspect it'll have to be
done primarily by the Trade Union movement - who have been deliberately
emasculated within the party - simply because they have the
organisational structure and money to carry off a mobilisation of party
activists.

The problem then arises is this does precisely the opposite to the
previous point at a local party level but it needs the change to begin to
give the politics back to the party.

The majority of the deciding marginals, IIRC, are straight Tory/Labour
splits. How tight is it? Would a split 'left' vote allow the Tories to
slip in?

It's hard work and the turn out will be low. Makes Hove interesting as
it's pretty much a three way split with the Greens as a fourth contender.

But it's not local activists doing the leg work - the Tories don't seem
to have any and Labour don't have enough.

The Tories are heaping money in, attempting to localise their candidate.
He gives the nagging feeling that being an MP is something else for the
CV. In summary: a disturbingly moist lipped individual.

Digressing slightly: this raises another question, that of media control
- the old staple of the left "it's not fair
Murdoch/Black/Conran/Beaverbrook[1] own all the papers" does have an
element of truth, but its the representatives and executives that are so
so craven and fearful of the press they do what they're told rather than
doing what the local party wants.

How to solve *that* problem?

I agree but simply having a third party doesn't solve the root problem,
which I see as a disengagement from the decision making process.

That would require a greater politicisation and involvement of the
electorate not just in single issues but the whole ideology of living and
personal responsibility.


[1] "Hurrah for the Blackshirts"

 

You could have made several points strike home; causing, say, a Labour
party member awkward moments; yet have managed to miss each one.

To describe a Government that has been prepared to directly oppose
popular opinion by going to war as complacent displays flawed and, dare I
say, complacent thinking.

The target there is we have a Government who are no longer representative
of the electorate who said one thing in opposition and another in power.
I wouldn't describe that as complacent, or for that matter describe them
as lying as they've been pretty much up front about it.

What you see is what you get: a political body whose primary aim is to
protect a narrow body of financial and business interest.

The driving force behind the Governments actions have been protecting and
extending the 'economy'. This maybe a good thing, depending on your POV,
as without a successful and 'vibrant' economy we all suffer. Apparently.

You describe the "image" of government yet are obviously totally unaware
of the true nature of Government.

To state that any party will make a "worthwhile change at this point if
only to give the other party an opportunity to shake itself together
ready for another election as a more viable option" is crass and stupid
beyond belief.

The parties don't do it for a laugh; they do it simply to further their
aims and objectives. Would the Tories have done anything differently,
that you've objected to, over the last 8 years?

Would we be any less of an ally of the US? Would the real rural social
structure be any less nearer collapse? Would we not be looking at ID
cards?

Would schools be any better off under the Tories? - their objective of
providing parental choice is just a smoke and mirrors for the
strengthening of private provision both as a sector itself and within the
current state system. Dependent on your POV this is not a good thing as
it's not about choice it's more limiting; it takes away the premise of
education without conditioning - but that's a different argument
altogether.

It's not a fucking plaything: "Go on, let them have a go now..."

This doesn't make any sense but reading between the lines it demonstrates
you really are quite clueless. I'll put it slightly differently:

"What (I think) you don't like about Labour's past record is, for all
intents and purposes, the stated policy of the Conservative Party".

 

You are getting more like me every day young Paul m'lad

'Hog

 

Let's vote for someone who couldn't give a toss on public opinion.

<Frank Burns mode on>

Excellent!

I find myself agreeing with Michael Howard more each day, and I am far from
the wealthy upper class they are always said to represent.

<fx: Dons flame retardant suit>

As opposed to starting a war with Syria or Iran or North Korea or anyone
else that George says he doesn't like?

I really liked the 80's.

 

When MASH meets the Simpsons.

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Actually, they didn't. They were never very far behind the Tories in
the total vote.

Better the second than the first.

Strange, because their vote is collapsing. The only thing hiding that
collapse is that people report percentages rather than absolute
numbers.

The majority of the country doesn't vote Labour.

 

Brings a whole new meaning to Itchy & Scratchy.

 

I'm not doing very well today it must be said. My boss, now thankfully
retired, was called Frank burns you see and was scarily like Mr Burns. So
you can see my confusion, can't you? Can't you?