don’t stop believin’
I voted Labour. I always will vote Labour. But I’m not in the majority and, what’s more, it looks like I’m destined to be in a small and ever-dwindling minority. Decimated in the very far north of the country by a party running to its left, Labour was equally menaced in the industrial north by UKIP on its right, and squarely trounced by the Tories in middle England. Understandably, recriminations have started and look set to continue for some considerable time. Was it the promised mansion tax? Or perhaps the non-promise of a referendum that did it for you. And don’t forget the bedroom tax, immigration, Russell Brand and bacon sarnies. Or the ‘stone’ for that matter.
Apparently, the political elite and those in-the-know, now believe it was all down to the lack of aspiration, and of Labour’s inability to appeal to those with a modicum of it. By all accounts, Labour needs a leader whose voice can carry into all the streets and cul-de-sacs of the country, a leader equally at home in Waitrose as they are in Aldi. And not there just for the free coffee and a copy of the Daily Star. So, looking at the hopefuls, and, I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it is the aspiringly-named Yvette or Tristram that could win you back, or the steady northern tone of Andy Burnham…
Now, it might just be me, but wouldn’t it make a little more sense, and hence be a tad more compelling, if we knew what the prospective few actually believed in? Yep, believed in with all their heart, believed in and would die for, believed in and would take to their grave rather than compromise on with the first wobble of the focus group or steering committee? Personally, it would be a refreshing change to hear what a politician believes in for as opposed to claiming to believe in what you’re willing to vote for.
Contrary to what the mainstream press would have us believe, the Tories don’t appeal to everyone. Rumour has it that millions of the populace hate them with a fury usually reserved for Manchester United, and no-one can claim to know what David Cameron actually believes in, as he doesn’t know himself! With the Tories about to embark on £12bn spending purge, the attempted repeal of the Human Rights Act, and the smart money being on them to self-implode over Europe, the one simple question the prospective Labour leader candidates need to ask is not “how can I win the next election?” but “what do I actually believe in?” Call me naïve but it’d be a start, wouldn’t it?
