'If not them, why us?' Keir Starmer needs to give people a reason to vote Labour
Change: the simple reason Mr Sunak is trying to position himself as a change candidate despite leading a party in power for 13 years. He has no option, however much of a stretch it may seem.
Both parties' polling shows that voters overwhelmingly want things to change.
What they are yet to be convinced of is that the change has to be a Labour government. Sir Keir's task in Liverpool this week then is to answer the question: "If not them, why us?"
Rather than pretend this has everything to do with voters looking for reasons, it may be better to view it as a decision the media must make - which way to push swing voters.
Both of the Parliamentary Collective's main teams, Tory and Labour, are there to take the flak when things go wrong. Yet things going wrong isn't an undesirable state of affairs from a media perspective, because that's where the political stories are. More foul-ups, more stories.
Which brand of fake change will the media go for? That's the question.
Both parties' polling shows that voters overwhelmingly want things to change.
What they are yet to be convinced of is that the change has to be a Labour government. Sir Keir's task in Liverpool this week then is to answer the question: "If not them, why us?"
Rather than pretend this has everything to do with voters looking for reasons, it may be better to view it as a decision the media must make - which way to push swing voters.
Both of the Parliamentary Collective's main teams, Tory and Labour, are there to take the flak when things go wrong. Yet things going wrong isn't an undesirable state of affairs from a media perspective, because that's where the political stories are. More foul-ups, more stories.
Which brand of fake change will the media go for? That's the question.
7 comments:
Another off-topic spotted today:
"Teachers are more important than anyone in society but dentists and bartenders."
dearieme - and if teachers become better at throwing out the unruly, they may move up that league table.
"Both of the Parliamentary Collective's main teams, Tory and Labour, are there to take the flak when things go wrong."
Yes, that's it. And not just the Parliamentary Collective - the permanent government of the Civil Service and assorted establishment institutions need at least two parties so that blame can be targeted by the public on an expendable group of people. Every election is the fake promise that things are going to change, while the governmental agencies will do all they can to prevent change.
Rigby has a point, though. If Sunak can convince voters he is making changes to the dismal legacy of Boris et al (HS2, boat people, Net Zero) then it presents Starmer as a small-c conservative who has no real plans.
Of course, if teachers had taught the current generation of bureaucrats how to do their sums properly, perhaps the mistake would not have been made! Hoist by their own petard?
Sam - yes, I think Sunak knows what he is doing but it's an uphill job and the media seem to prefer Starmer anyway. The boat people could be a key issue as it's a continuing source of media stories and Starmer does not give the impression that he would tackle it or even wants to.
Anon - and it's not as if the sums are hard.
Putting Labour in is akin to putting the Demrats in.
James - it is, but the floaters may do it.
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