A Labour defeat, yes, but this was not nearly as bad as 1983
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
Andy Beckett finds reasons for optimism in the shadow of Labour’s defeat.
“Labour’s youthful support, and policies addressing what are by common consent the biggest contemporary issues – the climate emergency, the inadequacies of the modern economy and Britain’s proliferating social crises – suggest a party with the potential to do much better at future elections.”
The stakes are high. If Labour ends up blaming some generic “left” for its defeat it will spend a long time in the wilderness.
This article was originally published by Guardian on Thu 19 Dec 2019. Read the original here.
A Labour defeat, yes, but this was not nearly as bad as 1983
Last week’s result was not a simple rejection of the left: the party’s policies on the big issues of the day could sow the seeds for future success
Loading article text…
Thank you for this bit of optimism! Much needed, very timely analysis.
32.2% is above what Labour got in 1987 under Kinnock and not too far behind the 34.9% he got in 1992.
It is important to remember that the former strongholds that fell at this election were lost in stages over a number of elections.
Apparently, they are losing younger voters–the demographic most likely to vote Labour. This may be because they are becoming more run-down.
And of course, these areas are losing local government finance. And so, as happens sometimes in politics, the people who cause the problem can actually end up benefitting from it.
What the Labour Party needs to do now is to identify the leadership candidate most likely to continue Corbyn’s work whilst recognising his
mistakes. Richard Burgon is probably the one.