Actually, I’m allowing myself to feel optimistic. This is similar to what happened to John Major. All governments reach a sell-by date when the electorate want a change. A new generation of voters that knows no different decides that the other lot might be worth a try. It happened in 1979, again in 1997 – perhaps again in 2010… One can hope.
Yes LR, but in 1997 Blair appeared to be offering (or, actually, selling) something different: it was “touchy-feely, it was a whole different kind of politics: honest even! Furthermore, Labour had the nous to recognise the success of Conservative economic policies by following them until the electorate identified them with Brown rather than Clarke.
What are the Conservatives offering? Broadly speaking more of the same as Labour: failed economic policies, more government expenditure, more of the same in the NHS, effective abolition of grammar schools, burrowing deeper into the EU, keeping all the diversity quango crap etc etc. So I am sceptical that people will actually go out and vote Conservative rather than just say in an opinion poll that they would vote Conservative. What I fear will happen is that the Labour client-vote (benefit claimants, public sector “workers”, favoured minorities) will hold up nicely: the disaffected majority will largely sit on its hands: and Gordon will be carried shoulder-high into Downing Street in 2010.
I am hoping that you will be proved wrong, that the negative press will collude to encourage people to vote for the other lot. I hold out no hope that the Conservatives will be much better, but letting the current lot hang onto power is worse.
Likely as not, I will be in France by then, so will be observing with interest from a distance.
They’ll get in again though won’t they?
Jonathan’s last blog post..Thieves….
Actually, I’m allowing myself to feel optimistic. This is similar to what happened to John Major. All governments reach a sell-by date when the electorate want a change. A new generation of voters that knows no different decides that the other lot might be worth a try. It happened in 1979, again in 1997 – perhaps again in 2010… One can hope.
Yes LR, but in 1997 Blair appeared to be offering (or, actually, selling) something different: it was “touchy-feely, it was a whole different kind of politics: honest even! Furthermore, Labour had the nous to recognise the success of Conservative economic policies by following them until the electorate identified them with Brown rather than Clarke.
What are the Conservatives offering? Broadly speaking more of the same as Labour: failed economic policies, more government expenditure, more of the same in the NHS, effective abolition of grammar schools, burrowing deeper into the EU, keeping all the diversity quango crap etc etc. So I am sceptical that people will actually go out and vote Conservative rather than just say in an opinion poll that they would vote Conservative. What I fear will happen is that the Labour client-vote (benefit claimants, public sector “workers”, favoured minorities) will hold up nicely: the disaffected majority will largely sit on its hands: and Gordon will be carried shoulder-high into Downing Street in 2010.
I am hoping that you will be proved wrong, that the negative press will collude to encourage people to vote for the other lot. I hold out no hope that the Conservatives will be much better, but letting the current lot hang onto power is worse.
Likely as not, I will be in France by then, so will be observing with interest from a distance.