61% of Labour seats uncontested - no surprise
I, for one, am not surprised by this figure. I have mentioned before in Fenland the Labour Party have only put up 6 candidates out of 40 - the Lib Dems fared little better. It is not good for democracy that the Conservatives are in a position of having guaranteed control of Fenland Hall even before a vote is cast.
Some of the reasons for this situation are quite apparent, the Government are massively unpopular, politics in itself is going through a rough time and many of the grass roots Labour activists that are around will not stand because their own left-leaning instincts are too much of a clash with the direction New Labour has taken.
But I think the situation has other causes. In Fenland the only political activity, outside of elections has come from the Conservatives. As well as having active Councillors, as a party, we have done our bit to let people know we have been around through engaging with the media and through initiatives like the NHS action days. How can you find candidates if you do nothing to invigorate and find support?
Some of the reasons for this situation are quite apparent, the Government are massively unpopular, politics in itself is going through a rough time and many of the grass roots Labour activists that are around will not stand because their own left-leaning instincts are too much of a clash with the direction New Labour has taken.
But I think the situation has other causes. In Fenland the only political activity, outside of elections has come from the Conservatives. As well as having active Councillors, as a party, we have done our bit to let people know we have been around through engaging with the media and through initiatives like the NHS action days. How can you find candidates if you do nothing to invigorate and find support?
Labels: local elections, New Labour
posted by Martin Curtis at 9:55 AM
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