Tuesday 27 May 2014
Dissecting the European Elections
The results for the European elections are now complete. Predictably, UKIP captured the anti-politics mood and did well across the country. All the mainstream parties took a hit, although the Lib Dems fared worst losing all but one MEP. Nick Clegg and Tim Farron hit the airwaves to suggest this was the price of a brave, principled, stance. Or, maybe, it's a sign their uncritical stance on EU integration wrong.
Most pundits felt David Cameron would be under acute pressure after these elections. In fact, the rumblings of discontent are far louder in Labour's Shadow Cabinet and amongst the Lib Dem's grassroots and candidates.
Nevertheless, it is right to pause to look at how the Conservatives can emerge from these elections to chart a course to victory in the general election, less than a year away. I have penned a column for The Guardian, assessing the way forward. You can read it here.
Most pundits felt David Cameron would be under acute pressure after these elections. In fact, the rumblings of discontent are far louder in Labour's Shadow Cabinet and amongst the Lib Dem's grassroots and candidates.
Nevertheless, it is right to pause to look at how the Conservatives can emerge from these elections to chart a course to victory in the general election, less than a year away. I have penned a column for The Guardian, assessing the way forward. You can read it here.
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2 comments:
I'm not sure its fair to say that UKIP voters are "anti-politics". They may be anti Labour, Lib Dems and the Tories but this isn't the same as being anti-politics, not unless you believe that the Big 3 have a monopoly on acceptable political thought of course (ask Cleggy how that's working out for him!). Perhaps UKIP voters have more in common with UKIP than anyone else so they've voting in favour of a party who are prepared to argue for the changes they favour. Just a thought!
Fair comment, perhaps 'anti-establishment' is a better description. That said, I don't think there has been a lot of scrutiny of what UKIP actually stands for. For a start, their sums on tax and spending make Ed Miliband look like a spend-thrift. In any case, they can't be ignored now, that's for sure.
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