Comments on: Would it be better for Labour to win or lose in Crewe & Nantwich? http://www.libdemvoice.org/would-it-be-better-for-labour-to-win-or-lose-in-crewe-nantwich-2714.html Our place to talk - an independent website for supporters of the Liberal Democrat party in the UK. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:46:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul Linford http://www.libdemvoice.org/would-it-be-better-for-labour-to-win-or-lose-in-crewe-nantwich-2714.html#comment-49034 Paul Linford Mon, 19 May 2008 09:01:54 +0000 http://www.libdemvoice.org/?p=2714#comment-49034 <i>So if you were a Labour supporter in Crewe & Nantwich, would you want to vote for Labour and risk prolonging Gordon Brown’s agony? Or vote for someone else in the hope of ending Gordon Brown’s premiership and getting a new Prime Minister in place?</i> I don't think the parallel necessarily stretches that far, Mark. In 1983, Labour had, in Denis Healey, a clear alternative to Foot who would have commanded a greater following in the country. He would indeed have done better than Foot in '83 - in fact it is possible that he would enjoyed such a "bounce" as Labour leader that Thatcher might have postponed the election until '84, by which time some of the "Falklands Factor" might have worn off. Unfortunately for Labour, this is not the case this time round. Recent surveys have shown that all of Brown's potential successors, including David Miliband, would be even more unpopular. Hence tactical voting by Labour supporters to get Brown out and a new leader in is very likely to backfire. So if you were a Labour supporter in Crewe & Nantwich, would you want to vote for Labour and risk prolonging Gordon Brown’s agony? Or vote for someone else in the hope of ending Gordon Brown’s premiership and getting a new Prime Minister in place?

I don’t think the parallel necessarily stretches that far, Mark.

In 1983, Labour had, in Denis Healey, a clear alternative to Foot who would have commanded a greater following in the country. He would indeed have done better than Foot in ’83 – in fact it is possible that he would enjoyed such a “bounce” as Labour leader that Thatcher might have postponed the election until ’84, by which time some of the “Falklands Factor” might have worn off.

Unfortunately for Labour, this is not the case this time round. Recent surveys have shown that all of Brown’s potential successors, including David Miliband, would be even more unpopular. Hence tactical voting by Labour supporters to get Brown out and a new leader in is very likely to backfire.

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