Labour’s Problems

If I was a Labour member, I would be worried now that, if they win the next General Election, due within the next 26 months, the economic situation they will inherit will still be dire and with many of the spending cuts promised by Jeremy Hunt in this week’s Autumn Statement still to be implemented. 

While the Tory & Brexit induced Cost of Living Crisis and subsequent recession may be ending by the time the General Election is called, the chances are that the recovery will be weak but the expectations on Labour to undo the damage done by Brexit & the Tories since 2016 will be great, probably too great to be met.

Given the current Tory Majority, despite what the current polls suggest, it is unlikely that Labour will have a large majority (if one at all), making life difficult for Keir Starmer as the ne Prime Minister. Also, as Starmer has already ruled out re-joining the EU ‘s Single Market, UK industry will still be trying to recover with one arm tied behind its back further reducing the new Government’s room for manoeuvre. 

Even if Labour manages to survive for 5 years in Government, I doubt whether they will have managed to revive the UK economy so that people will feel better off or that there is enough money to revive the public services which have suffered so much even before the current recession. This will give the Conservatives, revitalised after a spell in opposition, the chance to get back into power before the end of the decade, which would be a disaster for most people in the UK. 

The only way to make sure that this doesn’t happen is for Labour, regardless of whether they have a majority or not, to push ahead with introducing Proportional Representation to replace the failed First Past The Post (better named “Winner Takes All”) system that has give us Conservative Governments for 41 years out of the last 77 without once winning a majority of the public vote. Defenders of the current system can’t even claim it gives strong government after the political turmoil of the last 6 years.  

PR is the only hope that extremist Governments, as we have had for 6 years here in the UK are less likely in the future and we can rebuild the UK to be a more inclusive and more prosperous country.