The outcome of the London Mayoral election poses dangers for both the Conservatives and Labour.
If Boris wins (which we should all hope and work for), then the Conservative-led coalition government will likely see this as a 'truer' reflection of public opinion on the government's performance, will take heart and will continue along the path, which sees them being led along by their Liberal-Democrat partners, ditching 'Conservative' policies along the way. That this pathway is already strewn with botched and ill-thought out initiatives, won't deter them as they will believe that at the bottom of things, the 'people' really understand and approve of their direction - "otherwise, Boris wouldn't have been elected!"
They (the Conservatives) would be wrong. The 'people' have taken it into their heads, ably facilitated by the BBC and an angry and hostile media, that the Conservatives are 'out of touch'. It's not about knowing the price of a pint of milk or a loaf. It's about competence and relevance. The Conservatives are seen to present policies which enjoy, at best half-hearted support, from their own party and MPs, and which push the Lib Dem agenda while doing very little to help 'the people', only to see these 'policies' dissolve into farce before the ink on the press release is barely dry.
Drink-ups in breweries and managing a whelk stall, come to mind.
Ask yourself - How important is reform of the House of Lords or Gay Marriage or even the Leveson Enquiry to 'the people'?
I would suggest that most people are concerned with employment and the economy and security.
For Labour, a Boris win would likely present Ed Miliband with a leadership challenge but with Ed Balls or his wife, Yvette Cooper, as the leading contenders, Labour wouldn't see much of a change in its mis-guided and fundamentally flawed economic 'policy'. Labour's lack of humility and unwillingness to admit they were wrong, coupled with a 'borrow, spend, borrow more, spend more' policy is seen by people for the economic idiocy that it is.
For Labour a win for Ken Livingstone would present a polarizing challenge as his divisive views are (thankfully) not widely shared within the Labour party and his radical polemics and utterances would cause the Labour parliamentary leadership, constant heartburn and embarrassment, as that leadership seeks to present itself as 'moderate'. That's to say nothing of the impact, that his likely to be unfulfilled promises will have, on a dis-illusioned electorate.
For the Conservatives, a Ken win represents an opportunity (see above) but with their propensity for making 'government by gaffe' a way of life, having someone as media-savvy as Ken, just down the river cannot help. Indeed if Ken wins and if he stays on message, he would be a painful thorn in the side of the Conservatives.
If Boris wins (which we should all hope and work for), then the Conservative-led coalition government will likely see this as a 'truer' reflection of public opinion on the government's performance, will take heart and will continue along the path, which sees them being led along by their Liberal-Democrat partners, ditching 'Conservative' policies along the way. That this pathway is already strewn with botched and ill-thought out initiatives, won't deter them as they will believe that at the bottom of things, the 'people' really understand and approve of their direction - "otherwise, Boris wouldn't have been elected!"
They (the Conservatives) would be wrong. The 'people' have taken it into their heads, ably facilitated by the BBC and an angry and hostile media, that the Conservatives are 'out of touch'. It's not about knowing the price of a pint of milk or a loaf. It's about competence and relevance. The Conservatives are seen to present policies which enjoy, at best half-hearted support, from their own party and MPs, and which push the Lib Dem agenda while doing very little to help 'the people', only to see these 'policies' dissolve into farce before the ink on the press release is barely dry.
Drink-ups in breweries and managing a whelk stall, come to mind.
Ask yourself - How important is reform of the House of Lords or Gay Marriage or even the Leveson Enquiry to 'the people'?
I would suggest that most people are concerned with employment and the economy and security.
- Will their job remain?
- Will their children get a job when they leave school or university, in the Summer?
- When will they start to see pay rises that don't get immediately eaten up by higher taxes and prices?
- When will energy costs come down?
- When will UK security be given a higher priority than European Court decisions?
- When will suspected terrorists, simply be deported?
- When will the benefits system reward work and penalize idleness?
- Why are we closing public libraries in the UK while at the same time sending money overseas to open libraries (etc.) in other countries?
- Why are we supporting EU bail-outs while making cuts at home?
For Labour, a Boris win would likely present Ed Miliband with a leadership challenge but with Ed Balls or his wife, Yvette Cooper, as the leading contenders, Labour wouldn't see much of a change in its mis-guided and fundamentally flawed economic 'policy'. Labour's lack of humility and unwillingness to admit they were wrong, coupled with a 'borrow, spend, borrow more, spend more' policy is seen by people for the economic idiocy that it is.
For Labour a win for Ken Livingstone would present a polarizing challenge as his divisive views are (thankfully) not widely shared within the Labour party and his radical polemics and utterances would cause the Labour parliamentary leadership, constant heartburn and embarrassment, as that leadership seeks to present itself as 'moderate'. That's to say nothing of the impact, that his likely to be unfulfilled promises will have, on a dis-illusioned electorate.
For the Conservatives, a Ken win represents an opportunity (see above) but with their propensity for making 'government by gaffe' a way of life, having someone as media-savvy as Ken, just down the river cannot help. Indeed if Ken wins and if he stays on message, he would be a painful thorn in the side of the Conservatives.
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