Posted 12:40 AM by Paul
Politics Means Never to Having to Say You're Sorry

It's election time over here in sunny Europe. In Spain the Partido Popular who were thrown out following their attempts to discount Islamic terrorism as the source of the March 11 atrocities are about to get a complete hammering. The Socialists have been in power three months and in that time have repealed a stack of reactionary laws and brought their boys back from Iraq where they were being used a target practice by Islamic fundamentalists.

The reaction of the now discredited Spanish Conservatives is to claim that the Socialist victory was the result of electoral con. It was all a fraud. the voters will come to their senses. PSOE members organised a demonstration (illegal under Spanish law the night before polling) outside the Partido Popular HQ the night before elections demanding to know the truth behind the bombings. The Government were claiming that it was still probably Eta despite Korans and tapes in Arabic being found in one of the vehicles use to carry out the attacks. So the response to defeat has been to claim that millions of Spanish voters were stupid and could be swayed by a single demonstration involving a few thousand people. Not of course that their polices were unpopular. Insulting the voters is not a tactic guaranteed to persuade these same voters to support you three months later in the European elections. They are trailing by 10% in the polls.

In the UK the Labour Party is running 3rd - that's right 3rd - as votes are counted in the municipal elections. This has never happened before. Even in the early 80s when I was an active member and the reaction you got on the doorstep was somewhere between disgust and incredulity:

"Do what? You want me to vote Labour? You must be joking mate!"

Labour was always 2nd to the Tories.

The response from my local MP (a minister in the Government is revealing) to this unprecedented situation is revealing

"Errr this is a mid term protest vote ...and in local elections it is an inexpensive way for people to protest but they won't do it at the next General Election."

She has been taking tips from the Spanish Conservatives

The Labour Party is really asking for it. No apologies. No attempt to understand how they have got it so wrong. No attempt to find out what people are actually protesting about. Just a smug "Oh they will come back soon. They won't be stupid enough to actually vote someone as wonderful as me out of office"

I don't care about the Spanish Conservatives and I am delighted they are about to face another electoral humiliation. Eventually they will get the message, say sorry and promise never go out on a date with George Bush again. But I don't care. The Labour party is different. I used to be a member and, if truth be known I am waiting for an excuse to vote for them as long as they get rid of Blair. Seeing them spout rubbish on on TV is like watching helplessly as an old friend destroys himself on drugs.

The disaster will just have to run it's course and many good MPs and local councillors will lose power and influence to assuage the vanity of a leadership that is hopelessly out of touch with reality.

When they lose power many Labour Party members will blame the voters.

"Now look what you've gone and done!"

But don't blame us. We did warn you. But you just weren't listening.