Wednesday 5 May 2010

What They Wanted

They always hated the Labour Party. They felt that they should be the main force of the Left, as they could have expected to have been in the Continental countries from which they had so very recently and, which is the rub, unwilling been extracted, extracted to a city never all that much like the rest of Britain, and not at all so now.

They could not get their heads around the moral, social, cultural and constitutional conservatism. Or the patriotism, which never felt the slightest need of any alternative focus, whether the Soviet Union or the European Union, the United States or the State of Israel. Or the several profoundly religious streaks. Or the provincialism. Or the fact of doing well frequently in many rural areas and invariably in quite a few. Or the preponderance of utterly undisguised and unapologetic members of the old aristocracy and haute bourgeoisie. Or the habit of actually allowing the working classes to run things. Or the distaste for Marxism so pronounced that its adherents were regularly purged. For that matter, they could never get their heads around the fact that half of working-class people voted Tory.

Instead, they wanted to destroy it and replace it with a party in which everyone's father was Ralph Miliband. Well, they have now done so. As a result, so few people are going to vote Labour that we are going to have a hung Parliament. Leading to electoral reform. And thus to the re-emergence, as a very significant force, of a party that is morally, socially, culturally and constitutionally conservative. That is patriotic. That has several profound religious streaks. That is provincial as well as metropolitan. That is rural as well as urban and suburban. That fully includes all classes at all levels. That has not a Marxist bone in its body. And that delivers social justice, and peace.

If, of course, we get our act together and create that party.

2 comments:

  1. Very depressing developments. Philippa Stroud and George Galloway lost in Sutton & Cheam, and Poplar & Limehouse respectively. The swing to independent candidates failed to materialise; Richard Taylor and Dai Davies both lost their seats and Watts Stelling gained only 2,472 votes while Pat Glass romped home. Candidates who were effectively imposed, have no connection to their local communities, those who were educated privately rather than at a grammar school, attended Oxbridge, but know very little, still managed to defeat local candidates. The conspiracy between Dr Tristram Hunt (Cantab.) and Lord Mandelson, the incorrigible old Young Communist, failed to be exposed by commentators who are ready to support revolutionary socialism when the moment comes.

    Can no one stop the drift towards enforced atheism and compulsory fornication? Pope Benedict can make a positive intervention in September not long before the next election. Let us pray!

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  2. I'm about to do a full post on NW Durham. "Romped home"? Is that what you what you call losing 12 points and dropping below fifty per cent of the vote?

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