Getting more worried...

[LeftishBrit]

It's now less than a year to the election, and it's getting to look more and more that the Tories will get it. I know New Labour are practically Tories themselves, but I am old enough to remember Thatcher, and I'm SCARED!!! Yes, Thatcherism is still with us under New Labour, but the Tories will make it even fuckimg worse.

Any chance that Cameron will be found in Argentina with a lover, like that American governor, just before the election - and will STAY THERE?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

1. There isn't much we can do

It's Cameron's to lose. Anti-New Labour sentiment has been enough to sustain the Tories in the opinion polls, as the Tories' offerings in the policy arena have been few.

I think the best scenario would be a Hung Parliament. It would make it difficult for the Tories to bring back the nastier elements of monetarism, and it also would allow some philosophical rethinking in the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.

[non sociopath skin]

3. The newly elected Tory mayor of North Tyneside, where I work ...

... has already announced the loss of 200 jobs. Not bad for a month's work. And that's BEFORE she has a Tory government to really put the screws on ...

Time to order the buckets for the leaky school roofs again ...

The Skin

[non sociopath skin]

4. Don't think it's going to happen though ...

Don't see a prolonged honeymoon for the Tories, however. I suspect that things will turn very ugly very quickly.

The Skin

[ikri]

2. It would take a massive swing to prevent that now

Labour could still do it, push a few more Labour-like policies through, for example:

The Digital Britain report has set a 2mbit broadband speed as the bare minimum requirement for the future of digital services in the UK, Labour have the opportunity to finish off laying fibre to the door of every house in the UK. It certainly wouldn't be cheap but then neither is the current plan. Fibre to the door is capable of speeds well in excess of the miserly 2mbit target and the infrastructure could be resold to ISPs to recoup the costs similar to the manner in which BT provide access to the copper telecoms network.

Allow councils to build social housing again.

Create or subsidise a company to manufacture the equipment required for nuclear reactors, there's currently a worldwide order backlog for these types of parts but setting up the facilities to craft them would be prohibitive.

Set up a company to manufacture wave power harnessing equipment to be strung around the shores of the country, early tests have shown great promise but would again require significant investment to build these in large enough numbers.

Each of those ideas would step on the toes of business however, there are no companies that could undertake those tasks due to their expense. They are government projects that would benefit everyone in the country.

Whilst they're at it, they could start speaking up against the Tories on subjects like Europe. Tell the voters how the EU Working Time Directive benefits them and how voting for the Tories would allow them to rewrite UK law so that guarantees on the length of the working week, how much holiday time they're entitled to, maternity and paternity leave, etc. could vanish. The Tories see how things operate in the US where over 10 days paid holiday each year is seen as a luxury, where 60-80 hour working weeks aren't uncommon and with their business bias would screw the workers of this country in favour of businesses.

A Labour government would do these things, I've no idea what our current government will do.

[T_i_B]

5. Well we've just had the European elections

This would have been the ideal place for Labour to make the case for the benefits of the EU. Now I can’t say too well if Labour did mention the EU much in their campaign as they didn’t leaflet round my neck of the woods so maybe other people can say whether or not they did better then I can.

Trouble is, well all know how the Euro elections turned out, with Labour being beaten into 3rd place by UKIP! Like it or not the EU is not in any way a popular cause.

And beyond that I can see another major problem for Labour. Labour’s recent problems have left their own grassroots supporters badly demoralised. Now if their own activists are not enthusiastic about campaigning for Labour then voters in turn are less likely to be enthusiastic about voting for Labour.