Tuesday 22 February 2011

DODGING THE ELECTORAL BULLET?

On Friday 25th February 2011 the people of the Irish Republic go to the polls to pass judgement on those who oversaw the collapse of the Irish economy in the banking crisis. The Irish people are a tad angry and a potential if selective electoral armageddon may well be anticipated. Fianna Fail, who were in charge when the Irish economy went bust, in the last election it won 42% of the vote; the latest poll suggests support is down to 12% - ouch!

This side of the Irish Sea this is a particular electoral bullet that New Labour has by and large so far managed to dodge. Admittedly they lost the Westminster election, no doubt with a degree of quiet relief because their defeat meant that the Con Dem’s will have to carry the can for the inevitable cuts to the public sector that followed the economic meltdown that had been overseen by New Labour.

New (or former New) Labour has no positioned it as the protector of the public sector, despite the fact that they (had they won the last Westminster election) would not doubt have indulged in equally savage public sector spending cuts. As we progress to the Welsh General Election on May 5th its worth remembering the mess that New Labour created and the harsh price that we are all paying to rectify their failures.

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