Class tensions at Number 10
James Forsyth 12:34pm
Labour’s campaign in Crewe is, rightly being, lambasted. It is depressing that after 11 years in power, Labour can’t give voters a positive reason to vote for the party and have instead had to revert to the tired rhetoric of class prejudice. But what we shouldn’t overlook is how the issue is exacerbating the split within the Number 10 staff.
Stephen Carter, the strategist Brown hired to try and re-launch his premiership, is dead against the Crewe approach. The Mail on Sunday reports that he now plans to bring Oona King in as political secretary, in large part, because she shares his belief that these kind of attacks are ineffectual.
The anonymous briefings against King have already started. One MP complains to the Mail that King is a lightweight and unsuited to the role. King’s career never did reach the heights that many expected but it is understandable that Carter wants to recruit good media performers who are, to borrow a phrase, at ease with modern Britain. I suspect that the result in Crewe will show that voters are more worried about their economic circumstances than the social backgrounds of the candidates.
If Labour does lose Crewe, and the polls are suggesting it will, expect Carter and his people to blame the defeat on the Brownite bruisers. Labour’s divisive rhetoric will have succeeded only in heightening the divisions inside Number 10.
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Comments
Faceless Bureaucrat
May 18th, 2008 2:04pmI have friends, both Labour and Conservative supporters, campaigning up in C&N at the moment. There isn't much that unites these two groups, but to a man and woman, they agree that the labour approach to this by-election has been despicable - one has even told me he intends to cancel his Labour Party Membership because, as he says, "...I never thought I would witness such racist and discriminatory campaigning from the Party of my Father and Grandfather." Telling, very telling...
Ian C
May 18th, 2008 3:13pmIt would be a sensible start if they were to bring someone in to kick class politicking out on principle, not as a matter of By-Election tactics. No wonder the Labour brand is, in the few months it has taken, something its core don't own up to be rooting for.
Blairsupporter
May 18th, 2008 4:44pmWhen Blair was the leader he would never have allowed the campaigning of this nature, on class, to happen. It just shows how the Labour party are going back to the bad OLD LABOUR days Brown is looking more and more like Kinnock everyday!
Jessica
May 18th, 2008 4:53pmIf the Labour party want to go negative on candidate's background why dont the Conservatives start pointing out to the voters of Crewe and Nantwich Brown's Scottish background. Tories ought to tell the voters exactly what people in Brown's constituency enjoy that they in C&N don't, like FREE University education, FREE elderly care, FROZEN council tax, drugs available in Scotland that are not available in England etc.
Karl M
May 18th, 2008 5:04pmIt didn't work on Boris, let's hope it doesn't work in Crewe and Nantwich.
Simon
May 18th, 2008 5:14pmHow pathetic that Carter is briefing his way out of blame for Crewe. He was supposed to turn things round for Brown and has failed on a massive scale. Some of us predicted he would be a failure from the word go.
Kate
May 18th, 2008 5:18pmMore proof, if any were needed that Labour are going backwards. What annoys me is Labour and the Left are always the first to cry racism or descrimination of some kind but they have no such qualms about showing their despicable prejudice on class.
Tel
May 18th, 2008 5:19pmYou know when Labour are in trouble as they fall back on the class warfare rhetoric.
Chuck Unsworth
May 18th, 2008 7:49pm"Carter wants to recruit good media performers who are, to borrow a phrase, at ease with modern Britain"!
So, Carter is now responsible for recruitment?
And Oona Frontal Lobotomy King? Good Grief!
Henry
May 18th, 2008 8:14pmSo the Tories are once again run by a bunch of Old Etonian types (most of us thought they'd gone away years agO), then whine when Labour draw attention to this...
Sean
May 18th, 2008 8:23pmSomething for Cameron to raise at PMQ, and get Brown to defend the Labour campaign!
Nicholas
May 18th, 2008 11:19pmAnd, Henry, New Labour are run by a bunch of what? You should take a long hard look at the antecedents of some of your party nobs.
And give me an Old Etonian over a soviet socialist has-been any day.
Helen
May 19th, 2008 9:38amI am working class and appalled at the behaviour of Labour. I am equally ashamed that our government think they need to appeal to us on the ground of prejudice and hatred of anyone successful. We are quite the opposite and hope our children will be equally successful in their lives.
But you all miss the real point of Labour's mentality. Brown is replicating the methods successful in Scotland, where they campaigned on an anti-English ticket. The toff represents the Tories, who represent the English in the minds of Scots and Scottish Labour.
They just don't "get" the English. We are not brought up to hate success, but to aim for it. The majority of us working classes do not want the lazy to be hero worshipped as Labour voting fodder.
Labour has lost its way and represents no one in England.
You can take the MP out of Scotland, but you can't take the Scottish mentality of the Labour MP.