I am ecstatic
about the local election results. The people have spoken and they have sent the
message that the coalition isn’t working. The Liberal Democrats now have their
lowest number of local councillors ever and the Conservatives have lost over
400. The government has now been forced to pay attention to the fact that they
feel they are being ignored and abandoned. But better yet, people have put
their faith back into Labour. Finally Labour and Ed Miliband have effectively made
their case and stated their aims, and been justly rewarded. 823 new councillors
and 32 new councils are numbers that cannot be ignored. Labour is back on track
and back to the party that listens to and helps those who are in the worst
situations.
But we
shouldn’t get complacent. Neil Kinnock led the Labour party to great successes at
local elections but in 1992, the Labour Party (whom many expected would win an
easy victory) lost the election, ensuring another five years of Conservative
government. Labour still has a long way to go before it ensures it wins the
next general election. What Labour needs to do is catch the zeitgeist of these
local elections and finally issue a clear manifesto of what it will do on a local
level and what it wants to do on a national level, and how it aims to use its
position as the Opposition to protect the public from the coalition’s love of
cuts. By stating its objectives and goals Labour would show it is organised but
most importantly that it has changed. It would show that the days of New
Labour, that the infighting between Blarites and Brownites are things of the
past and that Labour has risen from the ashes, stronger and fairer.
Now is the
time to rally round Labour. Now is the time for a party that puts people before
business. Now is the time for fairer and just politics. Labour has started the
up hill struggle to election victory. By staying on track and shouting its aims
from the rooftops, Labour can ensure that at the next general election the map
will be flooded with red.
