Kmflett's Blog

Attention at the moment in UK politics is focused on what is happening at the top of the Labour Party and the Great Moving Right Show represented by Reform and Restore. The Green Party is also making an impact as a left of centre challenger to Labour and the LibDems in some areas.

The Makerfield By-Election on Thursday saw a reminder that in north-west England the Tories remain nearly defunct. The Tory candidate got just over 2% (5% is needed to retain the election deposit) which was only the slightest improvement on the 1.9% the Tories got in Gorton and Denton. The point being that the Tories are the Parliamentary Opposition to the Government and in two By-Elections in Labour held seats would be expected to do a lot better than 2%.

Also on Thursday however the Tories won the Aberdeen South By-Election on a significant swing against the SNP and Labour. It was the first Scots By-Election victory for the Tories since 1967. The Tories campaigned on jobs in oil and gas which have been declining as climate responsibility policies have meant that new development is not taking place. The Tories campaigned against Net Zero and for jobs. Ideally these two policies should not be able to co-exist. A Green New Deal should be replacing jobs and retaining skills. Even so the Tories successfully campaigned on this, even if its unclear whether it is actually Tory policy rather than just what Kemi Badenoch has decided.

It would be interesting, not least for students of the late Tom Nairn’s Break Up of Britain, if a Tory revival started in Scotland.

It is not btw happening in Wales where the recent Senedd elections underlined that Reform or Restore (not sure if the difference is that clear in the Valleys) hoovered up all but the hardest core of Tory support.

Interesting times, although the work of socialists aside from opposing the Tories, Reform and Restore in communities and workplaces, lies elsewhere.