Hartlepool voted for a Conservative MP instead of Labour for the first time since 1959. This is dreadful for Labour. That they lost a by-election to an eleven-year government is appalling. To lose by the landslide they did rubs salt in the wound.
The radio has been replete with Labour strategists and pundits expounding on Labour’s car crash: going in the wrong direction, need a new strategy, need to move left, need to move right. It’s amazing how people who are paid to talk can talk. And it’s all rubbish. Starmer didn’t fail because of anything he said, but for everything he hasn’t said.
Labour had an abject disaster because the punters think the government are doing OK. The government is an abject disaster, but nobody’s told the punters about it.
The UK media are mediocre, and Labour are hobbled by their strong Tory bias. But in general the media are doing their job: reporting on events. The government keeps screwing things up – the UK’s death toll, organisation, international behaviour and everything else are shocking – but the media can’t be expected to harp on about it. That’s the opposition’s job: creating the events. The process is supposed to be…
Government does well. Opposition complains about it.
Media reports on all events
Government does nothing. Opposition complains about it.
Media reports on all events
Government screws up. Opposition goes on, and on, and on and on about it.
Media reports on all events
Honest Boris Johnson has the vanity and motivation to become the leader of the country, but no interest – and certainly not the competence or character – to actually do that job. He fired all the competent Tories lest they become threats, and now has a cabinet and reserve pool of second- and third-raters. But nobody’s making this clear in the media.
If Starmer wants to win elections he needs to come out from under his rock and start telling and re-telling the country about the government’s mess. God knows there’s enough to talk about.