Where Next For The Conservatives?
Howard Wilkinson once commented during a post match interview that his Sheffield Wednesday side had won the second half 1-0, the fact that they had lost the first half 5-0 didn't seem to concern him. I was reminded of HW this morning as I woke to the sound of the Today programme and the news that the Conservatives had managed once again to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Okay, victory might be over simplifying matters but how sick must David Camerson be feeling today. A reduced majority for Labour in both of last nights by-elections is the equiavalent of a slice of stale Hovis for a dying man, it'll do for a while but it won't help much in the long run. You could say that Labour holding onto Tony Blair's old seat was a gimme, you could say that by-election results don't mean much come a General Election and you'd be right on both counts, but what about the Lib Dems and what about Ealing Southall?
In Sedgefield the Lib Dem candidate Greg Stone almost doubled his party's share of the vote to overtake the Conservatives in Sedgefield, while in Ealing Southall the Tories also trailed in third in a seat which David Cameron visited five times during the campaign.
David Cameron was hoping to restore momentum to his challenge for power after being knocked off course by rows over grammar schools and the effect of the Brown 'bounce' in last weekends polls. The Conservative party fought a hard campaign in Ealing Southall, where their candidate Tony Lit was listed on the ballot paper as standing for "David Cameron's Conservatives". But they suffered a setback when it emerged that Mr Lit had donated money to Labour and been photographed with Tony Blair just days before his selection.
It's now 15 years since the Conservative Party won a General Election, I don't think they've ever been so far from a victory in the next one since then.
3 comments:
Apart from a bit of role reversal we seem to be in the mid-eighties again. A hated yet seemingly unassailable government and a useless opposition. Apart from anything, it makes me feel old!!
You're right Shytalk. I'm not particulally bothered about either of the two by-elections because in one a monkey could have won for Labour and in the other what should be naturally 75% Conservative (Indian business people etc...) never has been, for some strange inverted 'racist' reasons since the 70's.
What really bothers me is Paul's final two paragraphs...that DC and the Conservative party have been INVISIBLE!!! I don't care nor expected any sort of result in these elections but I did expect some sort of action...Paul says DC visted Ealing/Southall 5 times...he didn't...some sort of aparition did...a shadow...a nothing...a grey blob of bland mediocracy...I just do not understand WHY THE FUCK they are not DOING ANYTHING!!!!! Do they expect some sort of Brown's political suicide?...they need new voices (one's that can be heard)...I am so annoyed but think that there must be some sort of hidden logic and all will be revealed... ... ... or maybe not.
Shy and Span - you are both right. This is so like the 80's when the Labour party had Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock floundering for so long. The only positive is that Kinnock may well have won 1992 but for that stupid eve of election presedential style rally.
The David Cameron situation really baffles me. We keep seeing good performances in PMQ's but when it comes to persuading the 'natural' blue vote he doesn't do it. I know people within the national executive who aren't convinced by him at all. We need a good opposition to raise serious issues and a decent showing in Ealing would have helped.
As for Span's final few lines you can only hope (if a blue) that DC is employing the Monty Python technique from the Holy Grail and assuming that they can confuse the enemy by running away from the fight. Trouble is it didn't help the Knights defeat the rabbit and it won't help DC get elected as PM.
Post a Comment