The Inter-Generational Election

Tuesday, 6th April 2010

Geoffrey Wheatcroft has kicked off the election campaign with possibly the most depressing article I have ever read about British politics. Jetting off to the States for an academic engagement, the old curmudgeon says he feels no regret at missing an election in which he has lost interest.

This say more about the author of the piece than the election, which promises to be the most fascinating in my adult life. But then I am nearly twenty years younger than Mr Wheatcroft.

His central argument is that the Labour and Conservative messages are uninspiring. The Labour government will admit that the situation is dire, but claim it would be worse under the Tories; the Tories will call for change, without having much to offer. This is about right, but, for me, the paucity of the political argument makes the election all the more interesting. For some time, I have believed that the British electorate faces the most unattractive choice since 1974 -- no wonder it seems unable to make up its mind.

In such circumstances there is a need for an intensification of serious political analysis, which is why it is a shame Geoffrey Wheatcroft won't be here to supply his share.

Towards the end of today's article he provides some genuine insight. "Maybe the blame lies with those of us whose memories go back to Wilson and Heath," he says. He quotes Tony Judt's assertion that his generation has been "catastrophic." This is the generation of George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Gerhard Schroeder and Tony Blair. It is also the generation of Gordon Brown.

Significantly, as Judt has pointed out, it is "a generation that grew up in the 1960s in western Europe or in America, in a world of no hard choices, neither economic nor political."

In this year's General Election, we have a choice between this "catastrophic generation" or the younger generation of Cameron and Clegg (who will play a part in the forthcoming election more significant than any Liberal party leader for almost a century).

There is no evidence yet that this generation (which happens to be very precisely my generation) will be any less catastrophic. But (with the exception of the ultra-privileged Cameron and Clegg perhaps) it is not a generation which has had it particularly easy. Those born in the 1960s have faced hard economic and political choices. We face one of our hardest yet on May 6 and I will be staying here to make it.

Filed under: Conservatives (2315 more articles) , David Cameron (1914 more articles) , Election 2010 (599 more articles) , General election (65 more articles) , George W. Bush (32 more articles) , Gordon Brown (918 more articles) , Liberal Democrats (1156 more articles) , New Labour (121 more articles) , Nick Clegg (706 more articles) , Tony Blair (237 more articles)

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Rhoda Klapp

April 6th, 2010 11:21am Report this comment

Hard choices? You don't know you're born. Eeee, when I were a lass....

Ronnie

April 6th, 2010 11:30am Report this comment

Martin, I agree that this is indeed an extremely crucial election but you have not shown how Geoffrey Wheatcroft is wrong.

The British electorate is indeed being presented with very little political choice by three main parties who are generally uninspired and childish. When we need them most we have no genuine leaders to call on. This election will show us what a dreadful state we are in and worse, that we have no obvious means or motivation to escape.

As has been the case during the past four elections, I fully expect us to sleepwalk through this awful event without discussing our substantive future in the EU - an organisation who's democratic deficit is so huge it is almost funny, immigration about which many of our people have concerns that are ignored by our representatives and how to rebuild an economy whose only answer to a devastating financial crisis is the acceptance of unbelievable levels of debt.

Our politicians gather in the centre, where the votes are perceived to be but the centre offers no resolution of these fundamental issues.

As so often is the case in political journalism in 21st century Britain, your post describes something of the problem, and then nothing. Throw off the shackles and let's hear what you really think about all this. Someone has to start somewhere.

Will Stanton

April 6th, 2010 11:35am Report this comment

Martin, good article.

Many Labour supporters (such as the Guardian) are depressed. And their strategy seems to be to drag everyone down to their depressed level by arguing that all parties are the same. This conveniently overlooks the fact that the current political situation (for good or ill) is a result of 13 years of a Labour government. You rise above that - good for you.

You say, "[the current generation] it is not a generation which has had it particularly easy". This is not necessarily the case for the public sector, which has enjoyed a boom time under the Labour government (and still continues to do so at a cost of borrowing £500m every day to pay for it). The problem for the country is that such a large public sector - and all the services that feed off it - will not vote to end the good times. Gordon Brown has succeeded in building his client state. Meanwhile, over 500 private companies are going bankrupt every week.

Teepee

April 6th, 2010 2:36pm Report this comment

Or is it just that people are disillusioned with the political process? What drove senior politicians to behave badly over anything to do with cash? Maybe if they had felt able to make a difference their energies would have been directed elsewhere. And if they can't make a difference what can persuade the electorate that their vote matters?

ajs

April 6th, 2010 7:35pm Report this comment

Dead right - we need some "serious political analysis". But with a large proportion of the electorate seriously uneducated, seriously unable to think further than the next meretricious football match and/or weekend binge, depending on Labour engineered hand-outs, and with many others despairing of the situation; and many others in "professional" classes who have been bought by Labour geld or hope for it and brainwash all they can, how can you expect any serious discussion? Not that the media does much to promote it, anyway. It is ultimately depressing.

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