Is there any point in voting come 5th May?
The prevailing mood with regards to politics in Britain is sadly one of apathy, with many failing to see what difference politics makes to their lives and/or not understanding how much difference one single vote can make. Before you go accusing me of feeling the same way, however, let me state my case - which will mean starting off with a look back at recent British political history.
When the Labour party was defeated for the fourth consecutive time at the 1992 general election, Neil Kinnock was unceremoniously ousted as their leader. Whatever the contribution of John Smith might have been, his unexpected death two years later forced another leadership contest, won by Tony Blair. To be honest, the Conservatives were in such a state by the 1997 general election that only the most incompetent of Labour leaders would have lost it - but Tony Blair was no slouch, essentially relaunching the image of his party so that it was truly electable for the first time in 18 years.
New Labour was an incredible undertaking in that it repositioned the party towards the centre of the political spectrum, but unfortunately it has proved the undoing of British politics as a whole. Tony Blair refashioned many of the Conservative party's policies, thus throwing the latter into complete disarray. Their existing split grew yet worse as some favoured a move further to the right (the only way for them to remain distinct from New Labour) while others, horrified by the mere thought of becoming more right-wing, preferred a move towards the centre. The fact that the Conservatives are now on their third leader since the historic landslide of 1997 is sufficient indication that this ideological conflict has yet to be resolved.
The writer Sue Townsend summed it up beautifully in describing the New Labour years as being like a cappuccino: heaps of froth on top but ultimately unsatisfying. The metaphor is appropriate to this day: the froth has gradually melted into the rather bland coffee below. In short, Tony Blair's reimagining of his party was a tremendous idea in the short term but could not possibly last. Worse still, besides being increasingly unelectable themselves, New Labour has effectively destroyed any realistic hopes the Conservatives may have of re-election and there is no-one credible occupying the left wing of British politics. Even the Liberal Democrats, who might be viewed as a reasonable alternative to the two main parties, have fallen prey to centrist politics ...
I'd come to the conclusion, some years ago, that New Labour was little more than a Diet version of the Conservatives, and while it was satisfying, once, to see my suspicions proved correct, it's now rather dismaying. Last night the Channel 4 programme Election unspun tested members of the public to see if they could match policies to parties; their inability to do so only heightened the degree to which there is but scant variation between the proposals of Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems, to say nothing of the marginalisation of serious polical debate. It got even more worrying: apparently following the practices of the last American presidential election, the British political parties now identify the key groups they wish to target and set about making themselves look appealing to these key groups. There was a time when politics was about long-term ideologies; now it's a matter of getting votes.
With all the main parties vying for my approval, I'd sooner give my vote to one of the smaller parties - and they have but little hope of getting any meaningful representation in parliament. I could easily feel apathetic about the whole thing, but being the idealist sort, I have too much of a social conscience not to make my voice heard ...
Unfortunately, I don't know how.
When the Labour party was defeated for the fourth consecutive time at the 1992 general election, Neil Kinnock was unceremoniously ousted as their leader. Whatever the contribution of John Smith might have been, his unexpected death two years later forced another leadership contest, won by Tony Blair. To be honest, the Conservatives were in such a state by the 1997 general election that only the most incompetent of Labour leaders would have lost it - but Tony Blair was no slouch, essentially relaunching the image of his party so that it was truly electable for the first time in 18 years.
New Labour was an incredible undertaking in that it repositioned the party towards the centre of the political spectrum, but unfortunately it has proved the undoing of British politics as a whole. Tony Blair refashioned many of the Conservative party's policies, thus throwing the latter into complete disarray. Their existing split grew yet worse as some favoured a move further to the right (the only way for them to remain distinct from New Labour) while others, horrified by the mere thought of becoming more right-wing, preferred a move towards the centre. The fact that the Conservatives are now on their third leader since the historic landslide of 1997 is sufficient indication that this ideological conflict has yet to be resolved.
The writer Sue Townsend summed it up beautifully in describing the New Labour years as being like a cappuccino: heaps of froth on top but ultimately unsatisfying. The metaphor is appropriate to this day: the froth has gradually melted into the rather bland coffee below. In short, Tony Blair's reimagining of his party was a tremendous idea in the short term but could not possibly last. Worse still, besides being increasingly unelectable themselves, New Labour has effectively destroyed any realistic hopes the Conservatives may have of re-election and there is no-one credible occupying the left wing of British politics. Even the Liberal Democrats, who might be viewed as a reasonable alternative to the two main parties, have fallen prey to centrist politics ...
I'd come to the conclusion, some years ago, that New Labour was little more than a Diet version of the Conservatives, and while it was satisfying, once, to see my suspicions proved correct, it's now rather dismaying. Last night the Channel 4 programme Election unspun tested members of the public to see if they could match policies to parties; their inability to do so only heightened the degree to which there is but scant variation between the proposals of Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems, to say nothing of the marginalisation of serious polical debate. It got even more worrying: apparently following the practices of the last American presidential election, the British political parties now identify the key groups they wish to target and set about making themselves look appealing to these key groups. There was a time when politics was about long-term ideologies; now it's a matter of getting votes.
With all the main parties vying for my approval, I'd sooner give my vote to one of the smaller parties - and they have but little hope of getting any meaningful representation in parliament. I could easily feel apathetic about the whole thing, but being the idealist sort, I have too much of a social conscience not to make my voice heard ...
Unfortunately, I don't know how.
posted by Anthony at
20:14
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