New Year

In 2015 the centre left of British politics was given a good kicking.

Labour spectacularly failed in the May general election, losing heavily with the loss of confidence of the British electorate.

It is obvious that people did not trust any political party, but trusted Labour less than the conservatives. Labour's weakness was trust, enough people did not believe that they could run the economy soundly, in truth they weren't even listening, labour had not earned the right to be heard.

Then followed the Labour leadership election, Liz Kendel a centre right candidate achieved just 4.5% and Jeremy Corbyn a left wing MP became leader, essentially his platform hasn't changed in the time he has been In parliament. This result further bashing the centre left politics.

Having been a member of the Labour Party since the 1980s, it feels like the Labour Party has moved back 30 years, labour rightly or wrongly has chosen a course that will advocate an agenda that is not intune with the conceived opinion of the British electorate.

The conservative agenda of reducing the role of the state and transferring costs from collective provision onto the individual, making employment even more flexible with fewer protections and controlling the organs of government, from freedom of information, human rights and attempts to rig our democracy.

The challenge for the Labour Party is to formulate a vision and a platform that can win back the trust of the British electorate and then win a general election. This will not be an easy process.