Peter Rhodes on “Changed Labour,” knocking on doors and the difference between Boris Johnson and a venomous snake
Peter Rhodes on “Changed Labour,” knocking on doors and the difference between Boris Johnson and a venomous snake
An unnamed ally of Boris Johnson says the former PM is “like a coiled black mamba, ready to strike.” (In this context, “strike” presumably means intervening vigorously in politics, not striking in the rail-unions sense).
Either way, we watch with interest. In the meantime, here is a brief summary of the differences between a black mamba and Boris Johnson. Black mambas are lean and lithe. Black mambas do not try to impress you with O-level Latin. Black mambas do not turn up at the polling station without any ID.
Of all the thousands of results in last week's local elections, the one for police commissioner in Warwickshire deserves a second look. Here was a poll on one of the major issues of the day – law and order – in the middle of the true-blue heart of England. With no council seats up for grabs on the patch, the turnout was always going to be low which means a determined Labour campaign might have unseated the Tory commissioner, Philip Seccombe, and what a mighty scalp that would have been for Keir Starmer.
Yet while Seccombe's vote collapsed dramatically compared with the 2021 elections, the Labour candidate's vote also fell from the 2021 level, allowing the Tory to remain commissioner by a mere 261 votes. This tells us that some supposed Tory strongholds are in fact terribly vulnerable to Labour, if only Labour gets its grass-roots canvassing into top gear. Elections focus so much on Whitehall that parties forget the crucial importance of motivated, sincere and presentable party workers simply knocking on doors.
That human touch is far more potent than any slick new sales pitches. Keir Starmer and Co are being billed as “the changed Labour Party.” As slogans go, it's not a patch on “New Labour” and may be counter-productive by reminding us that Labour was in desperate need of change. See “changed,” think Corbyn.
You may also hear the next General Election being billed as the election no-one wants to win. But will the government of 2024-2028 be such a poisoned chalice? The wars in Gaza and Ukraine could be settled, energy could be cheaper, immigration could be lower and we might even be happier.
Sometimes, things really can only get better, so beware of gloom mongers getting their sour grapes in first.