General election

The BNP isn’t beaten yet, by Ted Cantle

2 July 2010 | Ted Cantle

The newly announced coalition plan to cap annual immigration is just a scratch on the surface of a much larger and more fundamental issue for the UK and its local communities. Read more...

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Lessons for Labour, by Colin Talbot

30 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

My advice to the Labour leadership contenders is to admit that the party will never win a General Election again. Read more...

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They have got your number, by John Wilkinson

4 June 2010 | John Wilkinson

I’m not sure that voting in polling stations is as secretive as Paul Leake believes (Letters, May 7-13). Read more...

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Not new but next, by Melissa Benn

17 May 2010 | Melissa Benn

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Fooled again? By Colin Talbot

14 May 2010 | Colin Talbot

I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around me
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
And I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again
Don’t get fooled again Read more...

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Labour’s chance to renew, by Conor Ryan

12 May 2010 | Conor Ryan

Gordon Brown resigned with dignity last night. The progressive coalition was not to be and we await the full details of the LibTory government deal. But for Labour, if it is to rebuild for the next election, now is a time for clever opposition and not knee-jerk oppositionism. Read more...

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The price of coalition, by Colin Copus

11 May 2010 | Colin Copus

So, the most worrying outcome of the general election for the English gets ever closer: six Scottish and three Welsh nationalist MPs propping up a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition government. Read more...

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Anarchy in the UK, by Colin Talbot

5 May 2010 | Colin Talbot

The old anarchist slogan ‘Whoever you vote for, the government will get in’ always had a grain of truth in it – especially in Britain where our permanent civil service is very permanent indeed. As Yes, Minister so brilliantly satirised, ministers come and go, but Sir Humphrey remains, immovable, unflappable and very much in charge – or at least a powerful force in shaping what governments actually do once in office. Read more...

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Behind ‘Bigotgate’, by Melissa Benn

29 April 2010 | Melissa Benn
Commentators, to left and right,  have been quick to pounce on ‘Bigotgate’ as proof of  a profound gap between politicians and the ordinary voter in this election.  Labour in particular, they say, has failed to recognise the discontent in its own heartlands about immigration.
But no-one can seriously claim Labour has not talked about immigration in this election. In both of the  leaders’ debates, there has been a clear ‘tough line’ consensus on the issue,  with only the Liberal Democrats risking a rare show of tolerance with proposals for an amnesty for illegal overstayers.
No, all politicians have a bigger difficulty here.  Immigration is not an isolated issue; it is directly connected to jobs, education and housing. In a recession, with falling employment, pressure on public services,  and a real shortage of affordable housing, sensitivity to outsiders who appear to increase pressure on already inadequate resources is bound to be sky high.
But, of course, bigotry plays its part in the immigration debate,  not necessarily on Gillian Duffy’s part –   she began to complain about the flood of Eastern Europeans but was then distracted – but certainly by the BNP and the thousands drawn to vote for them.  And in this tightly fought election, there are tragically few in mainstream politics who are prepared to challenge it. 
The combined impact of these two elements -  the legitimate resentment felt by many heartland voters at scarce resources and growing inequality, and the role of racism and prejudice in responding to social and economic problems – is the key to the momentous proportions of yesterday’s gaffe.  
After thirteen years at the helm of power, it is impossible for Brown not to take the rap for the first;  with Labour now riding third in many of the polls, he simply dare not  publicly challenge the second.  
The oddest part of  Brown’s back of the car growl  (which incidentally, for all its obvious irritation, revealed a far more relaxed and authentic sounding Prime Minister) was surely his instant assessment that the exchange was a disaster. It wasn’t. It was a bruising, honest encounter, that he handled well enough. 
How much better then if he had found a way to both courteously and robustly counter the prejudice that, in his opinion, Gillian Duffy appeared to display rather than so disastrously vent his frustrations later. 
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The Welfare Liberation Movement, by Graeme Cooke

21 April 2010 | Graeme Cooke

We’re now right in the thick of the election campaign. Before last week’s leaders’ debate, it was fast becoming a boring exchange of who-has-got-the-biggest-efficiency-saving and what are they going to do with it. But then the Clegg-olution happened and it’s anyone’s guess what comes next. The oldest election cliché is that campaigns focus too much on personality rather than issues. However, with 2.5 million people unemployed and a large budget deficit, it is surprising that there has been so little focus on welfare policy. Read more...

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