During this parliament, one book has proved unusually prescient. Published in 2019 and covering the 2010-17 period, Electoral Shocks argued that declining party identification (or partisan dealignment) had made British politics less stable. Traditionally, high proportions of voters identified with parties and could be relied upon for support. But the decline of this factor - for reasons peculiar to post-industrial societies - entails greater instability. For example, the collapse of the Liberal Democrats in the 2015 election reflected their lack of partisans.
“The trend is set to be a permanent feature of British politics. Even if Labour achieves a large majority at this year’s election, the party may struggle to win consecutive majorities, as it might have done years ago.”
They’re committed to giving the vote to around five million non-UK citizens, plus 16 year olds. I doubt they’d do this if they expected most of these people to vote anti-Labour. All those extra Labour voters will be a big hurdle to overcome for whatever the future anti-Labour party is in 2028.
Since Blair, Labour has shown a preference for political issues to be decided by unelected judges rather than elected politicians. They’ll expand the political remit of judges even further, and this will make it even harder for a future anti-Labour government to undo their work by merely by winning an election. Labour will also entrench Blairite stakeholder capitalism through its New Britain Constitution. Sue Gray will give the civil service even greater power to run the UK according to its political preferences, without reference to elected ministers. In 2024 the civil service is best understood as a Labour client group (or even Labour as a civil service client group).
“The trend is set to be a permanent feature of British politics. Even if Labour achieves a large majority at this year’s election, the party may struggle to win consecutive majorities, as it might have done years ago.”
They’re committed to giving the vote to around five million non-UK citizens, plus 16 year olds. I doubt they’d do this if they expected most of these people to vote anti-Labour. All those extra Labour voters will be a big hurdle to overcome for whatever the future anti-Labour party is in 2028.
Since Blair, Labour has shown a preference for political issues to be decided by unelected judges rather than elected politicians. They’ll expand the political remit of judges even further, and this will make it even harder for a future anti-Labour government to undo their work by merely by winning an election. Labour will also entrench Blairite stakeholder capitalism through its New Britain Constitution. Sue Gray will give the civil service even greater power to run the UK according to its political preferences, without reference to elected ministers. In 2024 the civil service is best understood as a Labour client group (or even Labour as a civil service client group).
American voters are increasingly disillusioned with the duopoly we have over here and party identification is at its lowest point in living memory.