Thursday, November 03, 2011

How the Tories Could Win the Next Election. Oh, and Labour*.


As things stand, we’re probably heading towards another hung parliament. Cameron is not repelling people as much as many thought he would, despite his apparent lack of anything approaching a spine. Ed Miliband is a total disaster for his party, and is largely responsible for that party failing to make headway even as the coalition becomes less popular than dysentery. But both of those leaders could win the next election – but only if they are willing to take a gamble and do something bold. But both could do it.

How? Cameron could offer an referendum on the EU. Or, even more radically, he could redress our membership of the EU perhaps even to the point of pulling us out of that whole fucking mess. In doing so, he would become the hero of his party (including those on the right who remain very suspicious of young Hug A Husky). People across the country would also love this; it would be met with rapt applause from The Sun and The Daily Hate. Sure, many wouldn’t like this, but they would be the sort of people who wouldn’t vote for Cameron anyway. The ex-marketing man would be the hero to millions of people across the country, and he’d be able to spin himself as the courageous and visionary leader who dragged his country out of an expensive, bureaucratic mess.

What about Miliband Minor? Well, he could try being the socialist he sometimes hints at wanting to be. He could ramp up the rhetoric against the banks, and present himself as a genuine man of the people fighting on their behalf against reckless and dangerous financial institutions. He could get himself photographed with those members of Middle England struggling to make ends meet, and talk about how he is going to help them. Hell, he could even stand with those at the Occupy protests and claim that he, too, represents the 99%. Of course, it would be a blatant attempt at naked populism. But talking at the anti-war demos never hurt Charles Kennedy, for example. In fact, the opposite is probably true. And yeah, some people would find this sort of approach utterly repellent – myself, for example. But guess what? Those people, including me, would never vote for Miliband Minor anyway.

Which is part of the problem our party leaders have; they are so determined to try to please everyone all the time they lose sight of the fact that to do so is impossible and in trying they run the risk of really pissing off their core supporters. They fight so hard for the centre ground that they become myopic about the whole, broad range of the political spectrum. And then they wonder why fewer people vote, and they get approval ratings that, at best, are flat-lining, and at worst in free-fall. There is a real need for bold leadership in this day and age; unfortunately our leaders do not seem willing or able to provide it. So instead, we end up with cowardly, centrist jellyfish who actually please no-one; not even the core supporters of their own parties.

*And the Lib Dems? How could they win the next election? Well, they can’t. Hell, I don’t even know how they can maintain the disappointing result they got in 2010. Unless something pretty bloody spectacular happens, then the next election is not going to be very pleasant for the Liberal Democrats. 

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5 Comments:

At 3:49 pm , Blogger thespecialone said...

I have no evidence, no knowledge and some would say no intelligence. However, my guess is that events within the EU will overtake anything Cameron decides. Something in me wants the eurozone to fail, followed by the whole EU. Individual nations would then re-adopt their previous currencies, there will be a few years of pain and "re-adjustment" but then things will level out. Democracy could really be restored then (maybe).

 
At 5:31 pm , Blogger cheeky chappy said...

Dear TNL,

I have said very similar things on my blog for the past few years about centre ground politicians. The problem with being in the centre (as you've pointed out in your post) is that you try and be all things to all people and you end up being nothing to anybody. Centre ground politicos have no clear direction, no strong ideas or views and are only bothered about their own continued grasp of power. Furthermore, this is partly why people in this country are so apathetic towards politics, they want leaders with backbone and a willingness to say this is the direction we're going in, we realise this is going to lose us large numbers of voters, but it is what we believe in. I honestly think people would have far more respect for politicians like that, than the bland, PC, homogenious PR wimps we have in charge now.

I'm no lover of Thatcher, but I respect her for having the courage and the balls to state what she believed in and drive her party in that direction regardless of what it might have cost her at the ballot box.

To sort out a country's problems you have to have the balls to take a stand and piss off quite a few people, but if you do it with a clear and strong drive, even if people don't agree with you they will still largely respect you for having that belief.

Until we get rid of these centre ground politicians and find a group who have the guts to tell it as it is, and have the strength to make that kind of a stand, nothing will improve, I'm afraid.

 
At 9:14 am , Anonymous Michael Fowke said...

I can't see Cameron going against his socialist principles.

 
At 12:42 pm , Blogger The Nameless Libertarian said...

Cameron doesn't have any principles - socialist or otherwise.

 
At 8:12 pm , Anonymous Ed P said...

A vote for these loathsome people, Lib, Lab & Con, is a wasted vote. This septic isle will never regain its sovereignity through them - the EU has bought their souls.

I'm not a member, but will vote UKIP next time, as they are the only party capable of extracting Britain from the cold dead grip of the Euro-fascists and their failing attempt to emulate 1984.

 

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