Yesterday's news that DING's poll "lead" was down to 2% will be a complete disaster for CCHQ. For one thing, the polls have been narrowing for some time, this is not a rogue poll. For another, because of Labour's rejigging of constituencies, a lead this small means that Labour will actually win.
Those of us who have been consistently critical of DING's "Blue Labour / Red Tory" tax-and-spendism will be reluctantly enjoying a moment of schadenfreude. Unfortunately, it's too late for him to change tactics now, it would merely confirm to everyone that he is the unprincipled huckster so many already see him as.
Cameron has been so focused on "detoxifying the Tory brand" that he has rendered his party useless: flighty, built on shifting sands, chasing after every focus group frivolity ...
Afraid of frightening the horses, the Tories have no useful economic policies. And right now, people are shitting themselves about the economy. Because DING has let Labour "set the economic narrative", he can't announce plans to do what needs to be done, because it will look like the enormous U-turn that it is.
Rather than starting out from a position of principle, he started out from one of expediency which means that it's extremely unlikely that he'll be able to do anything at all in the coming parliament -- he'll be leader of the opposition again. Although hopefully not for long. Even though the Tories are more open to regicide than Labour, unfortunately, I don't think they can get shot of the useless bugger in time for the election, and frankly, it would be worse for them if they did.
Gordon will be insufferably cock-a-hoop at having finally won an honest election (or as honest as one gets in this Godforsaken shithole) and will use whatever mandate he gets to drive this country firmly into the arms of the IMF. The economy will implode because the boil we should have lanced in 2007 has been fed with more and more borrowing. There will be no escaping the explosion of rancid, putrid pus.
With a bit of luck, the Tories will implode after a fourth successive election defeat. Furious at not getting their chance to manipulate the levers of power, their MPs will get shot of Cameron and descend into a mess of internecine warfare for the future of the party. Schisms, splits, and new parties a plenty.
This generation of voters will finally see the consequences of Labour's fantasy economics and consign them to four consecutive terms of electoral defeat at which point they will also implode.
With a bit of luck, Parliament will become not a see-saw, but an endless roundabout of squabbling, petty non-achievers. Completely powerless to follow any agenda, with MPs much more beholden to the electorate, the House will simply become an irrelevance until principled politics makes a return.
And maybe, just maybe, when people have five years of proof that no meaningful government doesn't entail the end of the world, people will finally understand the libertarianism will return their dignity and their self-respect and make a genuine community, unlike any of the nonsensical "communitarian" political models.
Perhaps DING's utter, utter uselessness may eventually have a good outcome. In my dreams.
10 comments:
Obo, another 5 years of this is not an option for me. The only reason I haven't done anything stupid yet is because May isn't far away.
"people will finally understand the libertarianism will return their dignity and their self-respect"
Did you have the British public down as fundamentally quite bright, but they are simply too busy or distracted to notice?
Obnoxio dear boy. The British public are really quite dense. If your waiting for them to have some sort of collective epiphany your going to be waiting an extremely fucking long time!
Its simply, we need the Tories because they are the least worst.
Least worst? Fuck off. They are the least worst likely to get in this side of the second coming, I think is what you meant.
"At its best, New Labour was a recognition that the values of enterprise and aspiration could be fused with a commitment to social justice and fairness. And the party that best exemplifies that view now is David Cameron’s Conservative Party." - Michael Gove
Could it be that even the British public have figured out that "Call Me Dave" isn't offering any sort of alternative? That the winner of this election is Labour, or Labour? I do hope so.
I won't be rewarding this so-called "opposition" with a vote. I hate Labour but I really, really hate the "Conservatives".
Sinking Tories Subtle Adverts
Good blog, Obo.
You said:
"Perhaps DING's utter, utter uselessness may eventually have a good outcome"
I think it will. I think that when the total Tory vote is added to UKIP's vote, it will show that the Tories would have won. Then, perhaps, the penny might drop.
I further think that when the UKIP vote in the marginals is considered, the cost of them to the Tories in terms of seats will be staggering.
Lastly, yes, I think Labour will win, but with no real majority, and I think that the new Parliament will be lucky to last 6 months.
Egg, broken, omelette...
The useless fucker could easily have achieved the largest majority ever, by just making one announcement:
Conservatives = out of the EU.
But has he heck! Useless, bloody useless.
I got my voting card today through the post with the date May 6th on it. Is that official then? Seen no announcements on MSM.
Well said Obo, an excellent post as per usual.
Its funny you know but while your views -- our views because I share them too -- might be considered controversial, I believe you've got your finger on the nations pulse much more accurately than ANY of the political parties. Things are so rotten in this country that only a huge shock to the system is going to begin to put things right again. Brown getting re-elected should do it I think?
On the subject of the EU, which is often held up as a reason for the Tories faltering support. Isn't it strange that none of the EU supporting big parties (Labour, Conservative or Liberal) ever make a case for the institution these days? For parties that believe we're better off in, none of them are ever heard putting forward an argument. Scared? Dishonest? Embarrassed? Worried that any debate would show their arguments to be empty?
I actually think that reading the Conservative press will have given you a somewhat unfair and biased view of Brown.
In 1997, debt was 43% of GDP. In 2008, before the credit crunch, it was 37% of GDP. So we entered the credit crunch with substantially lower debt than in 1997, when Labour took over from the Conservatives.
In that time there was massive investment in education and the NHS. under the Tories the party you seem to love, we had a shabby education system and a second rate health service.
Buildings were falling down in 1997. Now there are lots of shiny new ones with all the latest technology.
Exam results are up too. There are more teaching assistants and teachers than ever. Class sizes are down. Teachers are paid more (which means they are probably of better quality).
As for the NHS, it has been widely reported that Tony Blair saved the NHS. Investment needed to be brought in as under the Tories waiting times were very long and investment as percentage of GDP was a lot lower than other countries in Europe.
Was money wasted? Sure. But that is why reviews are conducted. Can't expect massive investment to go in and straight away the money be put to efficient use.
The NHS and education system are a lot more efficient now than when the first massive investments was made.
What would the NHS and the education system have been like if the Conservatives had clung to power and continued their underinvestment? I'd dread to think.
Another success was on poverty. It doubled under Thatcher from 10% to 22%. She can also be blamed for the rise of the sink estate. All the good social housing was sold off to the private sector. You were left with run down estates where crime rocketed and anti-social behaviour abounded. It was at this time that teenage pregnancy began to rise.
With the introduction of child tax credits and pensioner credits poverty has come down a lot. Also poverty is relative (you are in poverty if your income 50% lower than median wage). The median wage has risen as Britain has prospered.
Have we been light on scroungers? Again another Tory tabloid myth. Our unemployment benefit is the stingiest in Europe. If you are on benefits then you are not enjoying it - believe me. Unemployment has rarely been an issue during the last 13 years until most recently. Our unemployment rate is lower than most countries even now.
As I say, the press (which is mainly Conservative) doesn't exactly give you a fair and non-biased view of things.
J_T, I don't know what the fuck you're on, but I'd really love some.
Unless, of course, you're just a fucking loony.
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