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Local elections: Tories in a Ukip tangle Local elections: Tories in a Ukip tangle
(5 months later)
Local elections matter in the same way that all elections matter. Elections change things that nothing else can. On Thursday, voters in 35 different local authorities, all but one of them in England, have that power. They should use it. With local government spending targeted to be cut by more than a quarter over the four years to 2015 and council tax effectively frozen, local councils again this year face some of the toughest budgetary choices in living memory. So, more than anything, this is a time for voters to stand up and be counted about what really matters in their areas.Local elections matter in the same way that all elections matter. Elections change things that nothing else can. On Thursday, voters in 35 different local authorities, all but one of them in England, have that power. They should use it. With local government spending targeted to be cut by more than a quarter over the four years to 2015 and council tax effectively frozen, local councils again this year face some of the toughest budgetary choices in living memory. So, more than anything, this is a time for voters to stand up and be counted about what really matters in their areas.
There are strong signs that they will. These signs come as much from national trends as from any at local level. The national opinion polls are in a very different place in 2013 compared with 2009, when most of these seats were last contested and Gordon Brown's government was entering its death throes. Much of what the Conservatives gained in 2009 they are at risk of losing in 2013. Much of what Labour lost is there to be regained and built on. So now, as then, but in a different way, is a good time to stand up for local priorities and communities as well as to send a message to Whitehall and Westminster.There are strong signs that they will. These signs come as much from national trends as from any at local level. The national opinion polls are in a very different place in 2013 compared with 2009, when most of these seats were last contested and Gordon Brown's government was entering its death throes. Much of what the Conservatives gained in 2009 they are at risk of losing in 2013. Much of what Labour lost is there to be regained and built on. So now, as then, but in a different way, is a good time to stand up for local priorities and communities as well as to send a message to Whitehall and Westminster.
True, the scale of change may not be as great as voters and communities may wish, partly because local authorities do not have as much independence as they should. But councils still matter all the same. In principle, the pendulum has swung towards localism in the wake of the Heseltine review. Council tax and business rates together bring in around £54bn, which is not nothing, even though local spending has suffered a huge real-terms cut. And with council budgets under such tight rein, the choices they make about priorities will affect people's lives more critically than in easier times. Even today, there is a lot that can be lost by a reckless closure decision, and a lot preserved by a crafty innovation or the inter-authority co-operation that many are examining.True, the scale of change may not be as great as voters and communities may wish, partly because local authorities do not have as much independence as they should. But councils still matter all the same. In principle, the pendulum has swung towards localism in the wake of the Heseltine review. Council tax and business rates together bring in around £54bn, which is not nothing, even though local spending has suffered a huge real-terms cut. And with council budgets under such tight rein, the choices they make about priorities will affect people's lives more critically than in easier times. Even today, there is a lot that can be lost by a reckless closure decision, and a lot preserved by a crafty innovation or the inter-authority co-operation that many are examining.
Experts think that many as a third of the 2,400 seats up for election may change hands this week. Of the 29 councils – mainly English counties – up for grabs, around a quarter could see different parties in control once the votes are counted. This all adds up to another good reason for voting. Each vote can make a difference. Yet turnout in local elections has been very poor in recent years – around 31% in May 2012 and as low as 15% in the police and crime commissioner polls last November. Those who have the vote this week should remember the power which they wield. Nothing, but nothing, worries a democratic politician like the possibility of losing office.Experts think that many as a third of the 2,400 seats up for election may change hands this week. Of the 29 councils – mainly English counties – up for grabs, around a quarter could see different parties in control once the votes are counted. This all adds up to another good reason for voting. Each vote can make a difference. Yet turnout in local elections has been very poor in recent years – around 31% in May 2012 and as low as 15% in the police and crime commissioner polls last November. Those who have the vote this week should remember the power which they wield. Nothing, but nothing, worries a democratic politician like the possibility of losing office.
Inevitably, much of the focus of this week's elections has centred on Ukip, which has been surging in the national opinion polls and, well funded by its rich backers, is contesting a much higher proportion of seats than before – 73% this year, compared with only 25% when these seats were contested in 2009. With the help of Kenneth Clarke's exasperated comments on Sunday, Ukip is guaranteed to dominate the headlines right through the week. But Ukip is not the only story. It is important to keep it in perspective amid all the hype.Inevitably, much of the focus of this week's elections has centred on Ukip, which has been surging in the national opinion polls and, well funded by its rich backers, is contesting a much higher proportion of seats than before – 73% this year, compared with only 25% when these seats were contested in 2009. With the help of Kenneth Clarke's exasperated comments on Sunday, Ukip is guaranteed to dominate the headlines right through the week. But Ukip is not the only story. It is important to keep it in perspective amid all the hype.
In most respects – but not in all – the rise of Ukip matters only within the centre-right. It matters much less within the larger picture. Yes, Ukip is in some ways the new "none-of-the-above" party, the role previously played by the Liberal Democrats. But voting for Ukip is also – like the nostalgia for Mrs Thatcher and the endless speculation about the Johnson brothers – part of a specifically British rightwing psychodrama. These are all manifestations of the unassuaged longing, ever since Mrs Thatcher's fall, for voters to find rightwing policies and the Tories themselves more attractive than they actually are. All are also proof, in spite of David Cameron's limited efforts after 2005, of the right's inability to convince and win in the centre. While the right fixates on Ukip, the rest of us need not do so. The bigger national story is whether and how far Labour now deserves the confidence of the English voters who turned their backs in 2009.In most respects – but not in all – the rise of Ukip matters only within the centre-right. It matters much less within the larger picture. Yes, Ukip is in some ways the new "none-of-the-above" party, the role previously played by the Liberal Democrats. But voting for Ukip is also – like the nostalgia for Mrs Thatcher and the endless speculation about the Johnson brothers – part of a specifically British rightwing psychodrama. These are all manifestations of the unassuaged longing, ever since Mrs Thatcher's fall, for voters to find rightwing policies and the Tories themselves more attractive than they actually are. All are also proof, in spite of David Cameron's limited efforts after 2005, of the right's inability to convince and win in the centre. While the right fixates on Ukip, the rest of us need not do so. The bigger national story is whether and how far Labour now deserves the confidence of the English voters who turned their backs in 2009.
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