Gordon Brown's speech at Warwick University this morning and his uninspiring, unoriginal and unpronouncable slogan, A Future Fair For All, has signalled the official start of the Labour election campaign.
Despite the hysterical expectations by Conservative politicians, journalists, analysts and some activists, he did not announce the date of the General Election, leaving us all to assume that it will be on May 6, the sensible time to have it, as there are local elections on that day as well. The whole idea that the Prime Minister should announce that he is dissolving Parliament to a conference and the media before he has done so in the Commons or has been to see Her Majesty the Queen is preposterous in any case, but one cannot argue with hysterical people.
Meanwhile, Conservative Home, the favoured site of Conservative Party members and activists, has cited another couple of polls that show a smaller gap between Labour and Conservatives. In other words, the election that should have been so easy for the Conservatives to win is becoming far more interesting.
Why, in such circumstances, should Conservatives want an early election is hard to grasp.
It is still possible, theoretically at least, that Gordon Brown will dissolve Parliament this coming week and call an election for March 25 but it seems unlikely.
Whichever way that will go, it is clear that small parties, especially UKIP, which is now being taken far more seriously by many parts of the media and a number of experts, can do well enough to make it clear that the electorate is not happy with the main parties. That unhappiness goes well beyond anger over the expenses' scandal - it is the result of a slow realization that the politics of this country has been taken out of its people's hands; that it does not matter who wins the election, the real government will remain in Brussels, where legislation goes on regardless of electoral results; that most of the promises politicians are making they cannot fulfil as they do not have the power to do so.
These are all points UKIP will have to push as hard as possible in the coming election campaign. No Prime Minister can make life fair; most of us were taught in childhood that life was not fair. What is more important is to make sure people realize that, as things are, no Prime Minister can be a Prime Minister in Britain and no Parliament can legislate in Britain. The most our Parliament can do is act as another lobbying group in Brussels, hoping that the Commission and COREPER (Committee of Permanent Representatives) pay attention to their arguments.
Speaking of pushing as hard as possible, when exactly *is* the UKIP election campaign? Is it starting on May the 7th?
ReplyDeleteThere are many, many people wanting to vote out our Fuhrer. They are not going to vote for a suit with a saveloy sticking out of the top of it.
How about letting them know who you are?
The UKIP campaign will start properly at the Milton Keynes conference on March 19, as was mentioned in the last Leader's Letter: http://www.ukip.org/content/leading-articles/1448-westminster-corner.
ReplyDeleteMarch the 19th is a month away.
ReplyDeleteFFS. Is anybody listening? Most of the population haven't any idea who even leads UKIP yet. Half of them don't know where Milton Keynes is either. I do, and I wouldn't start a campaign in it. Even Marilyn Manson died there.
Make some noise.
If you want help, ask. Ranty and I can make lots of noise, trust me. And we're not alone.
@ Uncle Marvo...
ReplyDeleteWe always launch our election camapign at the spring conference. We have to leave it until close to the election because it has the best chance of getting appropriate and valuable airtime. Too early and the impact diminishes.
Secondly, camapigns in the constituencies are already well underway with leaflets being delivered, public meetings being organised, etc. The national campaign is also under way in terms of organisation. The public launch has little bearing on actual activity.
Harry is right. A number of PPCs are campaigning; local meetings are being organized; the new billboards will be going up very soon. As for people not knowing who UKIP is, that is no longer true. UKIP people appear on Question Time regularly and are quoted even more regularly in the media. Of course, efforts will have to be stepped up, especially as the election approaches but a great deal is happening already. One can but hope that people who want to get involved will actually do so.
ReplyDeleteWot no blogs since Wednesday? I look forward to them, and am feeling starved!
ReplyDelete