Poll Position

When it comes to European Elections, then coming second is just what Labour does. Next month, it will do so for the fifth time in succession, at least in terms of seats won, going back 20 years. It will then have done so under four Leaders who had ranged, in every sense, from Tony Blair to Jeremy Corbyn.

It will do so with a position on Brexit that was incapable of summary. If you are prepared to read policy documents of several thousand words, then, while you may not necessarily agree with it, it does make sense. But you do have to be prepared to read policy documents of several thousand words. No more than a handful of the millions of people who are going to vote Labour in a month's time will have done that.

Yet Labour will retain second place overall. It will top the poll both in London and in the North East, the views of which on Brexit could not be less alike. It will come a good second in the other two Northern regions, in the two Midlands regions, and in Wales. 

It will pick up seats on the back of the Conservative Party's collapse even in the three Southern regions outside London. Indeed, although this is much less likely, it might even come second in one or more of those. It will even keep at least one seat in Scotland, which it has largely written off for all other purposes.

Overall, and in the two Northern regions where it is not going to top the poll, and in the two Midlands regions, and in Wales, and possibly even in one or more Southern regions outside London, Labour is going to be beaten, although it is going to be beaten quite hard, only by a single issue party that is never going to contest any other election.

That party will have at least two candidates from the Revolutionary Communist Party, and an ex-Marine but who is basically a Green, plus at least one candidate from the Nordic Eurosceptic Left, all with the endorsement of George Galloway. Indeed, it remains to be seen whether George will himself be a Brexit Party candidate. If he is holding out for a top spot on the list, then, like Ann Widdecombe, he is right to do so.

Beyond that, another hung Parliament is coming, and we need our people to hold the balance of power in it. It has become a local commonplace that I am on 30-30-30 with Labour and the Conservatives here at North West Durham, so that any one of us could be the First Past the Post. I will stand for this seat, if I can raise the £10,000 necessary to mount a serious campaign. George, by the way, has never formally resigned as one of my Campaign Patrons. Please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.