It struck me today that any opposition trying to get into power has a real problem if the populace as a whole is not too dissatisfied with the status quo. Yes, well, of course, that’s obvious, but my point is a little more subtle. Not very – I’m a Bear of Very Little Brain.
The party in government just has to keep enthusing about how good everything is. They have, essentially, a positive message. The other parties have to persuade people that everything is very bad at the moment and so they must start with a negative spin which makes them less appealing. I mean, who wants to hear from people who are complaining all the time?
Mind you, this is probably balanced very neatly by the phonomenon of people wanting a change because the grass is always greener…
Not very deep really. It must be bedtime.
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Given the British habit of talking down our achievements, I was actually more surprised that the nay-sayers didn’t make more of an impact than they did. I find myself feeling automatically suspicious of any politician who claims their party is doing well for the country (“But what about …?) In this case I think the main reason they stuck with Labour (just about) was the apparent moral bankruptcy of the Tory case – we knew Labour have betrayed us profoundly (esp. over the War and education) but the alternative was even worse.
(I enjoy your blog, BTW.)