I was a parliamentary assessor in 2017 when Theresa May called a snap election. Many seats did not have Tory candidates and we worked round the clock to get them selected, preparing for the landslide that never materialised. The lack of preparedness was understandable when an election was not due until 2020 and Mrs May had categorically ruled out an election until that walking holiday in Wales changed her mind…
But there is no excuse this time. There was always going to be an election this year so how come the Tory Party apparently has no candidates in place in 150 seats? Crazy. Of course there are always safe seats which become vacant at the last minute which is very helpful to drop in well-connected, favoured Party stars but the Tory Party essentially starts this campaign with about a third of seats unfilled. Hopeless. It shows there is a fundamental disconnect between No. 10 and the Party organisation.
Then the National Service announcement, already being watered-down. This policy is not without merit but it sums up the Tories’ problems of being in office. If it is such a good idea, why wasn’t it thought of earlier? It has surprised the Tory troops trying to get a grip of the detail. And we know how well that goes down. Just ask Theresa May about the social care policy dropped on a surprised Cabinet at the start of her 2017 campaign.
A decent man all at sea…
Starmer sounds confident, the Labour campaign appears slick, the LibDems are buzzing around Surrey and the South West. Gove, Leadsom, Redwood, all Brexiteer anarchists leaving a mess behind them, have jumped ship. Sunak sits in pubs but does not drink, breakfasts in cafes but does not eat and pops up in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. What is he doing there FFS? There are no votes to be had in Northern Ireland.
Of course it could all change… at least a little. A 6 week campaign is a long time in politics… But, today, it is round 1 firmly to Labour.
Inside Right Politics 