Posts
New Labour Triangulation: Coming Home to Roost?
The last Communicate/Independent poll was better for Labour than the ICM/Guardian one of this Tuesday, but still bad. However the analysis that goes with it suggests that sensible left bloggers who have been nagging the party roundheads about triangulation are being proved right.
At times over recent years it has felt as if New Labour strategists have been engaged in a guerilla war against our natural supporters, over-estimating the endurance of their tribal instincts. Clearing this street of public sector workers, this one of pensioners, yet another of peace and justice seekers, and still more of other hitherto loyal communities of interest.
These clearances have been accomplished using the very same hooks that have been used to snag the swingers in the super marginals to such great effect. But behind this success safe seats have drifted towards vulnerability.
Newer Labour agrees. Luke Akehurst quiet since the ICM one was trailed, won't. One poll doesn't make a swallow. But a pattern has been developing over long years. Time to step back.
UPDATE: Corrected date reference. Communicate poll is three weeks old.
5 comments:
This pattern has been going on for ages. I've had no poll to tell me it, but I have seen it going on before my eyes, on doorsteps and phones, and in pubs.
And the poll isn't today, it's dated Jan the 31st; as I pointed out, it's a little dated. I wonder what one commisioned today would look like?
Ooops. Will change the reference to the day. I spoke about this in the same terms at manchester central GC c 2004.
How brilliant that the triangulation post has three comments!
Oh bollocks I've spoiled it
Ooops, Horlicks, now 5. Perhaps we can build up to some other magic number? What is the number of supermarginals we're concentrating on? And how many core vote seats did the Tories lose at a stroke when they finally melted down?
Post a Comment