Apocalypse Now for Labour?

Now that most of the county council election results are in, there can be no doubt that the electorate in England has passed a damning judgement upon the Labour Party. Not only has it lost the four councils that it had previously controlled, but also the number of councillors it possesses in each county has collapsed in a quite breathtaking fashion. Although this electoral annihilation has been most pronounced in the South, the Midlands and the North can hardly be said to offer Labour much by way of hope.

In numerical terms the Tories are the clear victors, with the shires painted an almost uniform deep blue and the Liberal Democrats losing control of Devon and Somerset in their Wessex heartland. However, projections suggest that the total share of the national vote for the Conservatives will be only 38%; rather low for the main opposition party given the Government's parlous position. Still, the first-past-the-post electoral system means that this bodes well for Conservative prospects at the next General Election.

We have yet to view the results of the EU ballot, but on Sunday evening I expect to see a result that is even worse for Labour than that received in the county elections. Labour could quite readily slump to third or fourth position in terms of its share of the vote. Although we may still be trapped in the era of two-party politics with respect to Westminster, proportional representation for the EU elections shows that the electorate prefers to vote for other parties closer to their views and values when there is the prospect of their votes being translated into elected representatives.

There has of late been talk of parliamentary reform, including proportional representation. If such a system were to be introduced for either the Commons or the Lords, we could see the Labour Party sink into insignificance as many of its supporters permanently desert it for the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the BNP. UKIP is essentially a protest party that possesses no currency outside of the EU electoral machine, so I do not anticipate that it will become a long-term player in British politics. Moreover, UKIP, owing to its free-market focus, is more likely to attract disgruntled Tories than Labour voters.

Labour's lack of a distinctive ideological vision, other than the desire to cleave to power and to undermine our national sovereignty and solidarity, begs the question: just what is the point of the Labour Party? It is authoritarian, anti-libertarian, anti-national, anti-white and anti-male. It seeks to meddle in the affairs of other countries militarily and diplomatically where we possess no vital national interest, and its upper hierarchy is deeply enmeshed in the murky world of international finance. In this, I see nothing positive. This muddled and ugly concoction may appeal to certain ethnic bloc votes, but it has nothing positive to offer the British elector.

Purnell's move against Brown appears to have been precipitate given that Johnson and Mandelson have thrown their support behind the Prime Minister. Which Labour MP would honestly wish to hold a General Election before the last possible date, given the likelihood that they themselves would lose their parliamentary seats? It is my guess therefore, that Brown will seek to hang on for as long as possible, and that on the 6th of May 2010 the electorate shall bid a permanent farewell to the Labour Party as a party of national government.