The UK is crying out for a centrist pro-European force to pull the country together and face the challenges of the 21st Century; Britain’s own Emmanuel Macron.
Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron don’t remotely fit the bill. In fact, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are standing in the way of the creation of a new centre or centre-left movement. They are hogging space on the political spectrum that prevents the emergence of something like Macron’s En Marche.
Labour is hopeless on many levels. Its extreme left-wing has captured the party, leading to Corbyn’s repeated election as leader despite lacking the qualities required for the job. His old-style socialism pays no attention to the need to create wealth, as well as to spend it. He’s not interested in a strong defence. He’s barely even pro-European.
The Lib Dems are at least passionately pro-European. But they have little talent. Despite 48% of the public voting Remain in last year’s referendum, they are stuck on 10% in the opinion polls. They are struggling to get noticed for anything other than Farron’s views on gay sex.
But the dead hand of these two old parties is preventing the rebirth of anything new. Both squish any ideas that would involve people reaching across party boundaries to form pro-European or anti-Tory alliances. They put their tribal interests ahead of the national interest.
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If the UK had a different electoral system – even one like France’s, let alone proportional representation – it would be easier to push these tired old brands aside. A Macron could appeal over their heads to the electorate in a presidential election. As it is, a British En Marche would have the monumental task of winning hundreds of MPs under our first-past-the-post voting system.
The other problem a British Macron faces is the Conservative party. Its ability to reinvent itself – most recently by absorbing a huge chunk of UKIP voters in last week’s local elections – has been demonstrated for well over a century. The dangers of splitting the party have been drummed into every generation of activists since the Tory schism of 1846 following the repeal of the protectionist Corn Laws. So there’s little chance of persuading pro-European Tories to peel off and join the equivalent of En Marche.
The opportunity to split Labour isn’t great either, given how the party fared after the SDP was created in a schism in 1981. However, the calamitous election defeat which Corbyn is staring at could change that calculation. What remains of Labour and the Lib Dems could be so shocked that they will be open to imaginative ideas. They will also be less able to stand in the way of something new, just as green shoots have space to emerge after a forest fire.
That said, a landslide for Theresa May could pave the way for the Tories’ ultimate defeat – especially if, in a fit of nationalistic madness, she drives us out of the EU without a deal and over a cliff. A new opposition with some of the characteristics of Macron would then be even more desperately needed.
Edited by Rachel Franklin
Well Hugo, you must either be new to UK politics or reading only the Tory press figures because the Lib Dems received 18% of the votes cast in the council elections last week; have been at least as high in the polls as Macron in his first ballot a week ago; but are reported as 10% now in selected polls – paid for by the Tories. For the record, Macron is also Liberal like the Liberal Democrats.
Snap! 🙂
https://europaunited.eu/2017/04/30/wanted-a-british-macron/
Let’s see how many representatives from en Marche get elected to the French parliament before we get too excited about Macron. It’s very likely his room for manoeuvre will not be great due to the lack of representatives, and unless he gets enough cross-party support he may well not be able to get much done – mind you that also would have applied to le Pen although I think the Front National will have more representatives than en Marche. And let’s be honest here Macron got elected because Fillon appeared to be a fraudster – and not wanting to vote for a fascist (though worryingly the FN got a high vote, with almost half of young people voting for FN), with a high proportion of people voting for neither candidate or refusing to turn out.
This article is absolutely spot on. The Centre-Left in Britain suffers from being permanently split between Labour and LibDems. The Tories, as Hugo points out, remain united through thick and thin and thereby retain power. It’s now high time to reject the tribalism of the tired old Labour and LibDem brands. Macron achieved the astonishing feat of creating a new political party / brand in just over a year. He ignited the enthusiasm of the young and borrowed many of the digital techniques of Barack Obama. Tony Blair achieved the same re-branding with New Labour and won three elections in a row. If Macron could do it, there’s no reason why can’t it be done in Britain.
What a pity it is that we need to be driven over a cliff before anybody has an intelligent thought. Too much self interest in evidence here I think.
Sort of lost me with ‘extreme left wing’ – which means the author would regard anyone left of John Major in 1996 as Lenin reborn. The neoliberal nonsense of the current Overton Window is a major part of the problem – there’s no centre any more in politics, just flavours of ‘right authoritarianism’.
You’re looking at the end of Empire, and lionising variations of Diocletian and Nero (with one notable US Caligula to enliven the mix) when a Claudius is what is needed.
The point about LibDems is right. The only credible one is Vince Cable – the only credible politician of any party along with Sadiq Khan. Tim Farron is possibly only less inept than Ed Davey whose claim to fame in government was closing post offices.
David is short on facts about the Lib Dems. He must get all his from from the right wing press. The Lib Dems are open to co-operation with other parties. There has been a lot of co-operation between local Lib Dem and Green parties, and Caroline Lucas often works with Lib Dem MPs.
With Lib Dem opposition to Brexit, and its environmentalism, both being fundamental , joining with Labour’s pro Brexit, lukewarm on fighting climate change,, leadership would be counterproductive.
However there have been talks on working together, with Labour politicians who do not support Tory Brexit, and cooperation with Labour on other issues.. Labour and Green politicians have been invited to 2 recent Lib Dem Conferences to discuss co-operation on environmental matters and on displacing the Tories. Meanwhile the response of many Labour supporters to any mention of Lib Dem remains chanting half truths about student fees, albeit Labour were helping the Tories get their fee increase through.
Ed Davey’s claim to fame was leading the EU Council of Ministers on energy and Climate Change in its preparations for the successful 2015 Paris Climate summit. When the Coalition was replaced by the Conservatives , they could not take over the the EU role.
Ed also did wonders making practical advances in energy saving and low carbon energy, despite obstruction from the Treasury and other Conservative controlled departments.
The Lib Dems have others to take over from the older Generation. including Julian Huppert (not currently an MPs, but neither was Macron) and Tom Brake.
Our biggest difficulty is that the Media is mostly right wing and, having had its flutter with UKIP, is now keen to return to simple Left Right, Labour Tory two party politics.
The only way to get a British Macron is to get rid of the monarchy first!
British politics has been moving further and further to the right for the last 30 years, and even the Milliband Labour party was fairly right wing. Jeremy Corbyn has trouble leading the Labour Party because he is an old fashioned left winger, being heavily involved with the old Communist Party News paper, and opposing the banning of Militant Tendency. He voted against the last Labour Government on the majority of their bills. But Labour now is torn by a Left leader ship, and Right wing MPs and central organisation. It will take years for them to sort themselves out, and this time could let through a Macron.
The Liberals tend to talk common sense, which does not attract press headlines. It is only when they say something ridiculous that the press take much notice, and that translates into low support in elections. To say that there is not talent in the party is nonsense, as it has often been said that anyone who can get elected as a Liberal, would be a Minister in any other party, and having met some MPs of various parties, I am sure that that is true.
I don’t think that the existing parties are stopping any Macron coming to the fore. The main problem with politics in this country is the lousy press, who are so busy with celebrity culture that they would not recognise The Second Coming!