A bad day for labour...

...but not unrecoverable.

In the broader political landscape, I guess the only good that's come out of all the recent scandals is that everyone's talking about politics again. Furthermore, à la Naomi Klein, crises allow reform to emerge from the ashes. I just hope that after these disastrous few weeks for the government, the actual business of *governing* the country can start.

Although I've lost faith in the government, MPs and politics in generally recently, I still went back to London to vote yesterday and very glad I did. Although I could've voted in Oxford, there's something about going to your local polling station that makes you realise just how precious our democracy is. That's why I believe that not voting as all is almost as bad as protest votes.

Speaking of which, I'm disappointed at the internal implosion of the Labour party. Granted, the rebels (both backbenchers and cabinet ministers) are entitled to their own opinions but if they truly had the party at heart, the rebels would not have chosen to do what they did when they did. Despite their belief that with Gordon Brown at the helm, electoral whitewashing will occur in May next year, a leadership contest now would most assuredly bring forward that general election and most assuredly result in greater losses than are predicted in a year's time.

The soothsayers of Labour's demise don't seem to realise that if Labour really is at the lowest point it can go, surely the only way is up from here? The alternative 'caretaker parliament' that the rebels propose would not last till May and would *not* get the 'breathing space' required to stabilise the government. The reason for this is because it will be seen by the media and the wider public as a repetition of Brown's fatal flaw; that is, of never having a direct mandate via a general election.

Thus with the local elections showing the worst results for Labour on record, the response should not be fragmentation but unity. With all the faults and flaws of the labour party, the Conservatives have not been duly critiqued by the media or the public. I do not believe that I am entrenched in my political views but I simply cannot see anyone else putting forward the progressive policies that Labour has done and is doing (albeit the message is getting lost nowadays). Indeed, if the opposition parties had better policies, people would find that I am certainly no die-hard supporter of the government. However, I sincerely believe that after the furore of recent scandals such as the MP expenses, the dust will settle and in the light of day, people will see clearly which party has the integrity, guts and progressive vision to take us all through this global recession whilst championing the values of that we, the British people, embody.

Edit (06/07/09): Oops, how presumptious of me. I don't actually claim to 'speak' for the British public...how idiotic of me. I think I was just particularly riled then!