I’ve written an article for the latest edition of Fabian Review on how Labour needs to rethink its ‘middle Britain’ electoral strategy in light of the changes over the last 15 years in demography, geography, values, and politics.
I argue that “There is scant academic evidence that the focus on ‘Mondeo Man’ worked in electoral terms” and that the “most damning critique of the Middle Britain strategy is that it created no organisation able to support its aim and, instead, haemorrhaged support.” I go on to say:
“Building a new movement will not be easy. But the task will be harder still if the party doesn’t think hard about what has changed since 1992. While the mixed record suggests it would be wrong to continue without questioning the Middle Britain strategy, it would be equally foolish to hark back to a romantic notion of class-consciousness. Changing demography, geography, values, and political reality should all have a bearing on Labour’s next strategy.”
Ed Wallis has some kind words to say about it on Next Left as does Alex Smith on Labour List. The purpose of the essay was not to describe a new strategy but to set out the questions that the Labour party should ask itself in thinking about this election and those to come.
I’d be very interested to hear your views.
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21 Responses to “Labour needs a new electoral strategy”
tom schuller
Good to raise these issues, Will. To me the fundamental flaw in the Mondeo man strategy post-97 was that it led to Labour’s value profile becoming so blurred. The profile needed to change in order to cater for the new demographics, and to broaden its appeal, but it became too vague. Much of this, I’m afraid, due to Blair’s basic lack of commitment to recognisable values, just at the point when he could have redefined the whole political and moral tenor of the country.
Your article points out some of the demographic changes. One of the most important is the ageing of the population. Here’s a key theme on which Labour could take the initiative: sustaining solidarity between the generations. This doesn’t just mean paying higher pensions or providing good care – most of the talk in relation to ‘ageing population’ is puts them in a separate and passive category. It’s about how the wellbeing and success of people of different ages are positively interdependent. Younger generations support older ones in various ways, financially (eg taxes) and personally – and the same is true the other way round. The Left should be thinking creatively about how to stress these interdependencies as a basic feature of a decent and fair society. (Lowering inheritance tax not being a helpful step…)
Richard Blogger
I think your quote from Joe Moran sums it up:
the success of the Tories in the 1980s and new Labour in the 1990s had more to do with class de-alignment (the establishment of a broad base of support across classes) than class realignment
This is partly why the attempt to sue class in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election failed. The British public have moved toward a more class-less system and hence dislike the use of class as a political tool. (Or put it a differently, but with the same result, the British are getting more middle class, making the other ‘classes’ irrelevant.)
To be frank, the labour party must align itself with those traditionally “middle class” policies (pensions, taxes, education, mortgages, etc) because they affect the majority of people. If the Labour Party shows that it understands the issues in those “middle class” policies the public will treat them as the natural party of power.
Richard Blogger
Anon,
Forget Thatcher, this guy’s in a whole new league of unpopularity and I’m not just on about the fact he’s the least popular PM ever since the polls began.
You cannot be much of a political follower if you think that Brown is disliked more than Thatcher. People rioted to try and oust her, she was so disliked. Yet we do not have civil unrest now. One big difference is that Brown genuinely tries to do the right thing and tries to be even-handed, but Thatcher had a visceral spitefulness, which appealed to some people who thought that her targets needed attacking.
Brown has his faults (the dithering mainly) but you really must live in a weird world to think that he is disliked more than Thatcher.
Liz McShane
Richard B – spot on.
Anon – what Thatcher did really well was unite the whole of the country against her. Some examples of this – The Falklands, The Miners’s Strike, The Poll Tax and I would even dare to say The Hunger Strikes in Ireland. She is in a completely different league – Thank God.
Anon E Mouse
Liz – The Falklands war was to defend a peace loving British colony attacked by a fascist regime. Coming from Northern Ireland you should understand politics. That comment is below the standards / values of the remarks you normally post – it’s Christmas so I’m not responding to it.
Richard B – You are seeing the world the way you want to see it, not the way it is. Most of what you say is simply wrong.
I go from peoples opinions in pubs and the workplace. Brown is the least popular Prime Minister ever. Well at least since the polls began in the 1920’s. The polls clearly show I’m right and you’re wrong.
In Wales the Tories got more of the popular vote in the European elections – that’s since Lloyd George – so times change.
The reason there are no riots are because Brown has concocted a fascist police state in Britain. The police are now armed. The government wants to lock people up for 42 days without charge.
The Met in London shoot unarmed electricians from Brazil and arrest people in advance of crimes being committed (those climate change nutters who were going to picket a power station).
The met detain people without charge in operations called “kettling” and if someone complains they are battered with shields and batons.
Oh and if someone tries to get home to watch the football they are beaten to ground by the met who then lie and smear their characters, prevent the ambulance from attending the wretched man and can’t be identified because they remove their numbers from their uniforms and now he’s dead.
People can’t even take pictures of the police in London any more – that seems like a police state to me. That’s why people don’t riot. They are afraid to.
A woman was arrested under the terrorism act for trying to read out the names of the war dead at the cenotaph and Walter Wolfgang was arrested under the same act at the Labour conference – he’s 84 btw. His “terrorist” crime? He heckled Jack Straw.
Oh and Thatcher never started any illegal wars, slavishly sucking up to a rabid republican US president, funded by Brown.
And how is it even handed to remove 10p tax? And increase NI by 1% next year and on and on.
The man’s a bullying thug who will be ousted next year and because you have your head buried in the sand I’m afraid it’s going to really whack people like yourself.
We have treated the British public as fools and we deserve what’s coming.