It's
been an absolute age since I've written a blog post but the events of
recent days have reminded me of just how important it is to feel
empowered to write down my thoughts about society, politics and the
like. In short I've been quiet for too long (blog wise) and it's time
to begin my re-exploration of key issues that I am interested in and
which I feel need to be addressed by politicians in order to improve
the lives of people living in neighbourhoods such as my own in
Birchwood ward. Just in case you needed a reminder, in the General
Election of 2017 former nurse, Carholme ward City of Lincoln
Councillor and Mayor, Labour's Karen Lee took the Lincoln seat from
the Conservative Brexiteer Karl McCartney in what was considered a
surprising result despite the fact that Lincoln had voted 56.9% to
Leave in the 2016 EU referendum (although I must remind everyone this
was the lowest Leave percentage recorded in
Lincolnshire). Both Karen Lee and Mr McCartney will be candidates in
the 2019 General Election, alongside Caroline Kenyon for the Lib
Dems, Charles Shaw for The Liberal Party, Sally Horscroft for the
Green Party, lawyer Reece Wilkes for the Brexit Party and independent
Robert Bradley. Nobody can say we're not spoilt for choice in this
election that's for sure.
So
Brexit:
As
an ardent Remain in the EU and Reform supporter, the decision I face
making at this election, living in a traditional Lab-Con marginal
seat would seem crystal clear. Karl McCartney and the local
Conservative Association wholeheartedly support Bojo's position on
Brexit (“Get Brexit Done” blah blah blah) and will no doubt
attract support from voters who voted for the Brexit Party at the
European Elections back in May. The Brexit Party may attract
Conservative (and Labour) leave voters who are frustrated at both
parties' Brexit policies and want to achieve a World Trade
Organisation (WTO) terms type Brexit aka “Clean Break Brexit”.
Both parties do not appeal to me based on their Brexit policy because
my feelings towards Brexit have hardened quite significantly since
the June 2016 vote. I understand that Labour's official position
going into this election is to offer voters a Final Say referendum 6
months from December 13th which
is framed as “a choice between a sensible deal and remain”
according to Corbyn's own words
(https://labour.org.uk/press/jeremy-corbyns-first-major-speech-of-the-general-election-campaign/ ).
The problem I have with this is that I'm not entirely sure what a
“sensible” Brexit deal looks like from a Labour perspective
(apart from remaining in the Single Market and being part of a
Customs Union) and naturally it would require the securing of another
extension
(https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-delay-extension-labour-corbyn-boris-johnson-article-50-latest-a9179371.html).
I'm far from convinced that EU negotiators would be willing to
re-open negotiations for a 3rd time-
after all, why would they choose to go through the same old arguments
just for the sake of negotiating something that will pretty much look
like we are still better off being members of the EU anyways? I have
felt at times that the Labour leadership has let down voters like me
who wanted the party to come out boldly and unequivocally for
retaining membership of the EU. Then again I do understand that just
deciding to Revoke Article 50 and denying voters the opportunity to
have their say on a deal would be perceived by some as
anti-democratic, particularly in constituencies that voted heavily to
Leave in 2016. So yes I am very skeptical of Labour's Final Say
referendum position (how it'll happen within 6 months is beyond me)
but given the alternative (leaving the EU without having my Final
Say), I am favourable to giving Labour the benefit of the doubt at
least on Brexit and will wait to see further outlining of the Brexit
policy in the manifesto. That being said, I can't say the policy of
the Liberal Democrats to Stop Brexit by Revoking Article 50 isn't
attractive...it would end the uncertainty even if it did anger the
Brexiteers.
It's
certainly not all Brexit:
Brexit
isn't the only policy area that will be scrutinised by voters during
the 2019 GE campaign. In fact, when I speak to neighbours here in
Birchwood, discussions centre around a number of issues but include
boosting the local economy to provide long-term job opportunities for
young people living in the ward, tackling instances of Anti-Social
Behaviour in the ward and Lincoln city centre, tackling levels of
poverty and social inequality and addressing the level of traffic
congestion faced by daily commuters into the city centre. I outline
some of these issues below.
Poverty:
In
the latest Indices of Multiple Deprivation (2019), Birchwood ward was
identified as having 2 of the top 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in
England and 1 (which I happen to live very close to) was ranked
the 394th most
deprived neighborhood in England . Overall 18% of neighbourhoods in
Lincoln were ranked amongst the top 10% most deprived
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/ten-most-deprived-neighbourhoods-lincolnshire-3369859).
When people think of Lincoln (and Lincolnshire more widely), they
often picture middle class suburban voters or older Brexit voting
retirees but the county demographic is far more diverse than
that. The City of Lincoln Council has done a lot at a local
level to try and reduce levels of poverty through the Anti-Poverty
Strategy, the second version of which was approved in July 2016. The
Strategy focuses on a number of areas and objectives include
empowering people to maximise their income, breaking the link between
poor health and poverty and improving the condition of people's
homes. The Strategy document can be viewed
here: http://79.170.40.231/lincolnagainstpoverty.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Lincoln-Anti-Poverty-Strategy-2014-2020.pdf .
Comparison
of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation figures for Lincoln from 2015
and 2019 shows that 42 out of the 56 neighborhoods measured in
Lincoln have gone down in terms of rank, demonstrating there has been
an improvement in poverty levels in the City. For example, my own
neighborhood in Birchwood has gone from being the 2,397th most
deprived neighbourhood in 2015 to to the 2,742nd in
England in 2019.
However,
I personally feel that policy decisions taken at a national level can
help to compliment local policy such as the Anti-Poverty Strategy and
reduce poverty levels more significantly. This should include more
investment in our local authority support services as well as a
re-examination of the effectiveness of the Universal Credit system.
It's just not right that more families in Lincoln find themselves
reliant on food banks because they have no income left by the end of
the month to afford essentials and families with a parent or parents
in low-paid work are particularly struggling. Earlier this year, the
Welfare Team reported that they had “issued 505 food vouchers for
local community larders and food banks in 2018-19”, up 306 from
2017-18
(https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2019/05/food-vouchers-surge-65-as-universal-credit-is-rolled-out/).
Nationally the Trussell Trust issued 823,145 food parcels between
April and September 2019, including 301,653 to families with children
and their research found that 94% of food bank users are classed as
destitute
(https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/social-affairs/welfare/news/107943/universal-credit-slammed-figures-show-sharpest-rise-food).
If we are truly a society that cares for all citizens, we need to
ensure that nobody is left in a state of destitution. Politicians
must work further with charities, voluntary organisations, social
enterprises and campaign groups such as The Joseph Rowntree
Foundation and End Child Poverty campaign and listen to their policy
ideas because they know what works and what doesn't work when it
comes to addressing poverty.
Children
and young people:
Since
July I've been keeping a written record in my notebook of statistics
relating to children and young people and the impact that growing up
in poverty has on their life chances, whether they are living in
Lincoln or England more generally. Did you know for example that
nearly one in three reception children and almost half of children
eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) were found to be not ready for
engaging fully in lessons at primary school?
(https://schoolsweek.co.uk/one-in-three-reception-children-arent-school-ready-warns-teach-first/).
Were
you aware that disadvantaged young people are on average 19 months
behind their peers by the time they come to do their GCSEs and that
only 35% of students on FSM get 5 GCSE passes? In non-mainstream
settings (Alternative Provision), only 1.5% of
students achieve grade 5 GCSE passes in Maths and English
(https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/17/pupils-with-behavioural-issues-failing-to-meet-exam-benchmark). Very
concerning indeed. It still rings true that your start in life can
have a significant bearing on your chances of academic achievement
but there are policies that can be enacted which improve those
chances. According to Impetus' comprehensive Youth Jobs Gap research
(https://impetus.org.uk/policy/youth-unemployment),
young people who are classified as “doubly disadvantaged”,
described as being from disadvantaged backgrounds and having achieved
less than 5 GCSE passes are being “left behind” in the jobs
market. Even when young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have
those 5 GCSE passes, they are still 50%
more likely to
not be in education or employment or training in early adulthood
(NEET) (https://impetus.org.uk/policy/youth-unemployment).What's
even more concerning is that 75% of NEET young people are NEET for a
long-term period ( https://impetus.org.uk/policy/youth-unemployment).
It's
natural to understand why younger voters and their parents are
concerned about being able to access the long-term job opportunities
which allow young people to have the financial stability needed to be
able to lead an independent life. The latest employment statistics I
have accessed (July 2018-June 2019) show that 6.1% of economically
active people in Lincoln (i.e. people between the ages of 16-64) are
unemployed which is higher than the overall East Midlands percentage
of 4.6%
(http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157150/printable.aspx).
The statistics also show that the percentage of people in Lincoln
with a qualification above NVQ Level 4 is lower than the East
Midlands figure (24.2% compared with 33.2%). What's also interesting
to note is that the majority of businesses based in Lincoln are micro
businesses (85.0%)
employing between 0 and 9 people. Most micro business employers are
looking to employ young people who have advanced IT skills, are good
communicators and who are willing to learn and can provide
opportunities for stable, long-term employment. Yet one-third of
English 16-19 year olds have low basic skills, there has been a
dramatic decline in the number of Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships being
offered and more worryingly, research uncovered by 2017-19 Education
Select Committee Chair Robert Halfon suggests that 28% of jobs being
done by 16-24 year olds could be at risk of automation by the 2030s
and yet only 5% of
young people work in the STEM sector
(https://www.makeuk.org/insights/blogs/2018/03/06/robert-halfon-for-naw).
Couple this with research by the IFS which has looked at the decline
of adult learning programmes over the last 15 years which found that
“overall spending on classroom-based courses has fallen by
two-thirds, as have the number of adult learners”
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50378666?ns_source=twitter&ocid=socialflow_twitter&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews)
and it's clear that we need much more decisive action to change
this situation. Upskilling is vital for those who want to thrive
in a competitive, increasingly tech driven economy, particularly in
an area such as Lincoln which already has a lower percentage of
full-time jobs and higher number of part-time jobs than the East
Midlands and Great Britain average
(http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157150/printable.aspx).
So for me and for other voters my age and younger living in
Birchwood, policies which focus on investment in FE colleges and
community outreach education, which focus on providing more access to
Level 2, 3 and degree apprenticeships, especially for young people
with disabilities and funding for projects which improve the social
and technical skills of young people who come from disadvantaged
backgrounds which are grassroots led, appeal greatly.
There
is an increasing awareness in politics of the need to invest
long-term in public services and community projects in order to
address the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on young
people's chances of improving their quality of life. ACEs include
experiencing bereavement of close family members or close friends,
surviving a traumatic life event, being a young carer, experiencing
repeated discrimination based on a protected characteristic (e.g.
race), being involved in a gang and being a survivor of domestic
abuse and/or violence
(https://youngminds.org.uk/media/2852/aa-slides.pdf).
Investment
in schools, children and youth services, youth centres, mental health
services and local amenities has been identified as important in
helping to improve the life chances of young people who have
experienced or are still experiencing ACEs. However, youth services
across England for example have faced cuts as a result of the
austerity measures imposed on local authorities by the Tories. £880m
has been cut from spending on youth services in England since 2010
(70% of total spending) with 87% of councils slashing spending on
youth services by 50% and 50% of councils slashing spending by over
75%
(https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tories-500m-youth-services-380m-20338813).
In Lincoln we are fortunate to have third sector organisations such
as YMCA Lincolnshire and The Lincolnshire Youth Association which are
providing a diverse range of affordable activities for disadvantaged
and vulnerable young people as well as the Lincolnshire Council for
Voluntary Youth Services (LCVYS) commissioned by Lincolnshire County
Council to provide small grants to grassroots youth clubs who are
registered with them. However, I believe the next Government must do
more than restore funding for youth services lost due to austerity
cuts: it needs to work with third sector organisations to establish a
long-term strategy for funding youth work. The National Youth Agency
provides a number of excellent recommendations in their High 5
manifesto, with ideas including the establishment of a Government
Youth Covenant and funding for the core provision of at least 2
qualified youth workers per school catchment area
(https://nya.org.uk/2019/11/high-5-manifesto-investing-in-youth-work/ ).
Funding
for schools has been high on the political policy agenda since the
2017 election. The School Cuts website reveals that 83% of schools
across England will lose out on funding next year and recent research
released by the National Education Union found that just 18 out of
533 constituencies analysed (3%) would receive real
terms funding increases next
April compared with 2015 and even when the £2.6bn of funding
announced by Boris Johnson before the election is factored in.
Lincoln is ranked 298th in
the table, with a £227 per pupil funding loss between 2015/16 and
2020/21. You can check out the funding table via the Schools Week
website
here: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/union-publishes-constituencies-league-table-for-school-funding-to-sway-voters/.
Further
investigation of the Schools Cuts website demonstrates that levels of
per pupil funding can vary from school to school: for example, the
figure which signifies the difference between funding provided
between 2015 and 2020 and the amount which is needed to protect per
pupil funding in real terms for Birchwood Junior School is £462,637
and the loss per pupil is calculated at £252
(https://schoolcuts.org.uk/schools/?chosenSchool=9252245)
whereas funding increases for Woodfield Infant and Nursery School
mean that per pupil funding has increased by £138
(https://schoolcuts.org.uk/schools/?chosenSchool=9252135 ). This
is interesting to say the least.
SEND funding has been a central area
of concern, with some families struggling to access support by
securing a Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP). Layla Moran cites
Freedom of Information reports which found that 40% of ECHPs were not
being issued within the 20 week deadline required by
law (https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/education/house/house-magazine/107201/layla-moran-mp-children-special-educational-needs-or ).
A
report by the Royal National Institute for the Blind found that 44%
of councils had cut or frozen funding for educational support for
visually impaired children and 43% had seen a reduction in specialist
staff even though there has been a 7% increase in the number of
children needing support
(https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/22/funding-cuts-visually-impaired-pupils-rnib).
Children
with SEND are also more likely to be excluded from mainstream
schools: a new report by the charity JUSTICE highlights statistics
which found that although only 15% of pupils in England are pupils
with SEND, 45% of permanent exclusions and 43% of fixed exclusions of
pupils in 2017/18 were of pupils with SEND
(https://justice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Challenging-Report.pdf ).
Being
permanently excluded can have a detrimental effect on mental health
and emotional wellbeing, academic performance and future job
prospects.
The
2019/20 Lincolnshire County Council Budget did not see
an increase in the SEND grant award amount from 2018/19 (£259m) and
the testimonials from families who are struggling to secure an ECHP
or to keep their child in mainstream education demonstrate that
support must be readily available.
The
next Government must ensure that funding provided for schools in
Birchwood ward and across Lincoln is fair and sufficient to allow for
the provision of a comprehensive, inclusive education for ALL
students.
Mental
health service access for children and young people who have
experienced ACEs is mixed at best across England. The latest NHS
statistics available finds that at the end of July 2019, there were
234,458 people in contact with children and young people's mental
health services
(https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics/final-july-provisional-august-2019).
We are very fortunate in Lincolnshire to have a pioneering, inclusive
mental health services trust (Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation
Trust) and it was recently announced that they would receive £6m
over 2 years to “test new models of care for young, working age and
older adults who have moderate to severe, long term mental health
problems” through a community service approach
(https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/significant-funding-lincolnshire).
Yet many children and young people do not access CAMHS yet experience
anxiety and stress which impacts their everyday lives. The Children's
Society Good
Childhood Report found
that almost a quarter of a million 10-15 year olds are unhappy with
their lives and that any experience of financial strain or poverty in
childhood is linked to lower well-being by the age of 14
(https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/good-childhood-report).
Overall,
1 in 8 children and young people experience mental health problems:
in fact there has been a 48% increase in levels of anxiety and
depression among British children since 2004. Such statistics are
incredibly concerning to read about and it highlights the urgent need
for more early intervention strategies to support children and young
people to cope with challenges which go beyond reliance on community
mental health services. This includes delivering self-care strategies
and mental wellbeing lessons through a wide-ranging Relationships and
Sex Education programme of study, starting in primary school,
ensuring every school has qualified Mental Health First Aiders as
well as providing access to youth clubs and counselling services.
Law
and Order:
Law
and order is a policy area which I know from conversations I have
that Lincolnites take very seriously. We are proud of our police
force and our emergency service personnel more generally and our
emergency services have led the way on modernisation and
diversification of the emergency services. Funding for front-line
police officers has increased recently thanks to grassroots
campaigning and campaigning by Marc Jones, our Police and Crime
Commissioner and this has already led to the announcement of the
recruitment target of 50 new police officers by March 2021
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/boris-johnson-police-lincolnshire-3409759).
However, Lincolnshire police do face a deficit of £6.7m next year
despite this announcement and I continue to support the fight for
fairer funding.
One
of the law and order issues that concerns Lincoln residents in
particular is Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). ASB consists of a
variety of different behaviours but the ones that are most noticed
and reported in Lincoln happen to be harassment of customers in shops
and restaurants, loud noise levels mostly as a result of night
parties and public urination. According to statistics recorded by
local news site The Lincolnite, 3,181
requests for assistance with ASB were made to the City of Lincoln
Council between April 2018 and March 2019 and 595 fines were handed
out
(https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2019/09/harassment-and-public-urination-lincolns-anti-social-behaviour-hotspots/ ).
36 ASB incidents were recorded in Birchwood but despite this low
number, there is regular talk about the perception of the level of
noise coming from houses in areas of Birchwood. Over the past few
months I've been looking at research focusing on how community social
action projects can reduce instances of ASB amongst young people
whilst also challenging perceptions of what constitutes ASB to avoid
stereotyping...for example, I have heard one or two residents in
Birchwood label gatherings of young adults at local shops as ASB but
usually such gatherings of young adults happen because they feel they
have nowhere else to go to socialise and they are courteous whilst in
the shopping centre anyways. Yes we need the next Government to
continue to commit to tackling ASB at a local and national level but
we need more provision and promotion of social action projects and
localised services for young adults.
Whilst
mentioning law and order I can't forget to mention the prison
service. A report released earlier this year found that whilst prison
officers and support staff were doing their best to help look after
the welfare of prisoners, there was a 49% rise in incidents of
prisoner self-harm between 2017 and 2019 and issues were identified
with the infrastructure of the prison
(https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2019/07/lincoln-prison-falling-apart-as-staff-do-top-job/).
In addition, the number of prison staff who took sick days increased
by 28% between 2017/18 and 2018/19
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/number-sick-days-taken-prison-3351794).
I hope the next Government will ensure that prisons do receive the
funding and support needed to address these issues to ensure that
prisons are truly fit for purpose for the 21st century
and I hope that the mental and physical health of prison staff
improves as a result.
Community
Services and Amenities:
There's
much discussion around the perceived and actual reduction of
community services and amenities in Lincoln. It's true to say that
some services have been reduced or lost altogether. Birchwood library
is now open for only 2 days a week and the nearby Skellingthorpe
Library has been closed down. Over the past year there has been
discussions as the future of Lincolnshire's heritage attractions
after Lincolnshire County Council voted to cut £750,000 a year from
its heritage budget
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-49569564).
The
Usher Gallery had been earmarked for closure, with plans to turn it
into a wedding venue and for artworks from the likes of L S Lowry and
Henry Moore removed, something which I am personally opposed to but
recent news looks promising
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/row-over-lincolns-usher-gallery-3279735).
Amenities
wise in Birchwood we do have a recently renovated Leisure Centre, a
number of pubs including my family's local Green Barrel and a
thriving Shopping Centre with a diverse range of shops, including a
chippy, a Co-op and a Greggs (yes there is a Greggs out here in the
suburbs). The next Government must ensure they enact policies which
create the economic environment which will protect these vital
amenities from closure as well as looking at ways of restoring some
of the library and information services lost.
Transport:
There
is so much discussion about traffic congestion into Lincoln City
Centre. My parents for example have regularly sat through traffic
delays of up to 45 minutes in the mornings travelling in and they
complain about the number of times the barriers go down for the
trains. Even the bypass from the Skellingthorpe roundabout down to
the Riseholme roundabout can be gridlocked for 30 minutes when
congestion is made worse by accidents or bad weather. It's alright
for Mr McCartney to talk about transport infrastructure improvements
that have been made since 2010 but the volume of traffic on the roads
continues to increase and the perception of
transport infrastructure remains mixed at best. It's all fine and
dandy having a shiny new public transport hub to travel to and from
but if more people are not being convinced to use the buses to get
into Lincoln, what's the point? Dawn Hinsley, a Lincoln resident,
recently wrote a column for Lincolnshire
Live discussing
the haphazard nature of the bus services in the city, not least the
phenomenon of waiting ages for the bus to come but two follow in
quick succession
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/bus-services-lincoln-farce-deserve-3442835).
I must say I also agree with Dawn when she states that Stagecoach
needs to improve its service provision and perhaps the next
Government needs to do far more to ensure local councils have the
funding they need to commission bus services which run efficiently
and when they are needed. It's just ridiculous that buses services to
Bracebridge Heath stop at 6:15pm.
Notwithstanding
this, Bojo is apparently interested in funding the completion of the
Lincoln bypass after being asked about it by Dr Caroline Johnson at
the last PMQs before the General Election
(https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/lincoln-eastern-bypass-set-108-3488665).
It remains to be seen whether the investment is forthcoming post the
General Election.
Social
Care:
One
final General Election issue in this very long blog post that I want
to outline is that of Social Care. My Mum (who happens to be a
Norwegian citizen) worked in the care sector for 20 years and she saw
the difficulties that people needing care and their families
experienced particularly in relation to affording care services. In
2019, there are around 1.4m older people who are not getting the
care and support they need to thrive. There are around 122,000
vacancies in the care sector in England
(https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/brexit-implications-health-social-care)
and more than 50% of home care workers employed on zero-hours
contracts. Staff feel undervalued and do not always receive the
training they deserve. Even when staff do gain experience, they do
not necessarily see an improvement in pay and conditions: care
workers with 5 or more years' work experience are only paid on
average £0.15 an hour more than new entrants
(https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/whats-your-problem-social-care#meanstesting?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=thekingsfund).
The
Social Care system needs an overhaul to become more sustainable and
retain experienced and dedicated staff. The next Government must do
far more than promise to release a Green Paper and then not release
it: they must look at implementing policies that can cope with future
increased demand. Population estimates provided by the ONS state that
the number of 85 year olds is set to double to 3m by 2043 and Age UK
warns that care services will become overstretched as demand for
carers experienced in supporting older people with dementia care
increases
(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/21/number-85s-uk-double-25-years-amid-fears-social-care-crisis/).
The
challenge posed by Brexit to an already stretched care sector cannot
be underestimated either: whilst there are more non EEA nationals
working in the care sector than EEA nationals, the proportion of
non-EEA workers fell by 3% between 2012/13 and 2018/19 whereas the
proportion of EEA workers rose by 3% over the same period
(https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/adult-social-care-workforce-data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/Topics/Workforce-nationality.aspx)
and this comes before the implementation of a points system that is
more likely to favour applicants with higher qualifications.
This
blog is just the start of my examination of core issues over the
General Election period and only gives an overview of some of the key
issues that I will be thinking about. I look forward to finding out
more about the policies which parties propose to try and address
social inequality and funding concerns. If you'd ask me to make
a prediction about what will happen come December 13th, I
would say that we should all “expect the unexpected” but we have
to prepare ourselves unfortunately for a dysfunctional Hung
Parliament that is even more divided on Brexit than before.
Some traditional Labour voters do feel alienated from supporting
the party because of factional infighting, confusion over previous
official Brexit positions and what some perceive as radical far-left
policies. If Labour wants to have a chance of broad appeal amongst
voters and win them back, the party needs to focus on talking about
the “bread and butter” issues that so many care about, from
improving community service provision and encouraging small
businesses to strong law and order policies and improving public
transport infrastructure. 2019 will not be like 1997 but it can still
be fruitful. However, if Labour is unable to make gains against a
Conservative party that has lurched further to the right and in fact
loses Lincoln to them, then serious questions will need to be asked
about Labour's place as a major player in UK politics and as the
party of choice for centre left progressives going forwards.
