I spent a sunny Sunday today in Crewe & Nantwich, where I continue to both amazed and appalled by the contemptible content of the Labour Party literature - even the Labour grassroots think it is “disgusting”!
For a brief period in the mid-nineties – before my time alas – the Labour Party tried and managed to pass itself off as a Party that believed in aspiration, a Party that believed in fulfilling our potential as individuals, as communities and as a country. It’s been slipping for a long time, but as the power and popularity drains away from our failed Labour Government the mask has well and truly come off.
The Timpson family built their company from one small shoe shop not far from here in north Manchester. They are a true northern success story – a company and a family that should be held up as a shining example. Instead, the Labour Party denigrate that success as they desperately flail around as their electoral air begins to run out.
A few years ago I worked two summers at Salford Young People’s University, and it was a real privilege to play a small part in opening up the eyes of some of those children who attended that summer school to the potential that they had and the heights that they could achieve.
It’s a real contrast between that and the way in which many (although not all) of our local Labour politicians in Salford talk down to, patronise and take for granted local residents and communities who have placed their trust in Labour. The Labour campaign in Crewe & Nantwich has sunk far lower than I could ever have imagined. I hope they learn a very severe lesson on Thursday 22nd May.
Given the number of wealthy and privileged members of Brown’s cabinet (Benn, Harman, Woodward etc.) and their fund-raising and policy-making attitude to the wealthy the kind of unpleasant class-hate they’re indulging in is pretty nasty, counter-productive and hypocritical. It’s a big plank of Lib Dem ideology to remove entrenched privilege and inequality – but this sort of viciousness from Labour is hardly the way to go about it and does them no favours.
The Labour material is pathetic. Whatever happened to serious discussion of important political issues? Only a fool would vote for Labour because the same attitude Labour is showing towards the Conservative candididate is the same attitude of mindless contempt Labour will show to the electorate (if elected).
One probable reason Labour is stooping so low is that it dare not address serious political issues because as we all know Labour can’t run or hide from the mess it has made any longer; Labour can no longer deny that it is largely responsible for the poor state of this nation.
With material like this Labour deserve not just to be beaten but to be heavily beaten. Given that Labour’s campaign is being run on the level of pre-teen children one wonders whether it is being orchestrated by Hazel – she who could not stand for Cameron to have his photograph taken in her constituency.
I know that the Tories won’t be bothered in the slightest by idiocy like this. Neither will the electorate.
Hi Ian on a slightly different note I wanted to canvass your thoughts on the fact that council meetings seem exclusively run during the day time. I dont know if you’ve touched on the subject but in my short time as a councillor I have found it geared to those with either no other employment or part-time employment. To those of us who need full time employment to either set up or look after a home and family and have the desire to represent your community there appears no flexibility. There may be some dejectors out there that say you cant do both properly but many of these people hark on about there being no diversity in the make up of our representatives. To me there is a lot of talent out there that will be put off at the way the council diary conflicts with a need to work. An objective of my time as a councillor will be to encourage those with a talent to represent to do just that.
I completely agree Martin. I’ve written about this several times – most recently here:
http://www.iainlindley.co.uk/2008/03/07/salford-city-council-allowances/
Thanks. I find it disheartening that you are faced with a ‘catch 22′ situation where you go on a committee where you think you can do some good but find that you cant attend and put yourself in the firing line of opposition councillors as you are potrayed as not doing your job.
I would be keen to engage in some bi-partisan working in order to create a fairer and better system if you or any other councillors were interested.