Labour strategists can’t believe their luck. We’ve had the worst recession for more than 60 years. Gordon Brown has been accused of bullying his staff, former Cabinet ministers have been portrayed as “taxis for hire” and even some Labour MPs don’t appear to want five more years of their leader judging by the number of coups they have organised against him.
And yet the Conservative lead over Labour keeps narrowing. The ruling party is providing a case study in how not to win an election, but it’s the Opposition that seems to be paying the price. Downing Street staff joke that their boss goes up a couple of points every time there is a story about him whacking or shoving someone.
Cabinet ministers are mystified by the turnaround in the party’s fortunes. “If you’d told me six months ago that we’d be just two points behind in one poll I wouldn’t have believed you,” one of the Prime Minister’s advisers says. “The Tories should be 20 points ahead. There’s an overwhelming desire for change out there.”
What is clear is that the electorate has fallen out of love with Labour but it has still not found happiness with the Conservatives. This is not about policies or personalities. The problem won’t be solved by stopping the increase in national insurance or patting SamCam’s baby bump. It’s about something much harder to quantify, and to shift — people’s perception of the parties’ values.
Woe I never thought I would see the word 'values' in a UK politics article!
To read Rachel Sylvester's article click on link
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