The local elections on Thursday should be about the competence of each
individual authority. They will not be. In the 1990s, when the Conservative
Government was out of fashion and out of luck, many innocent councillors
lost their seats. So it will be again. Labour should prepare for a
depressing night.
Some results will reflect local issues but mostly this election will be a
referendum on ten years of Labour and their conduct of government. The
verdict may be severe.
I view politics now through the eyes of an outsider. And much of what I see is
uncomfortable. Political promises ring hollow. The political parties seem
isolated and remote. In the last two general elections the turnout dropped
from a healthy 80 per cent to a modest 60 per cent. Public disaffection is
widespread.
All parties bear some blame but the culpability of the present Government is
clear. When Labour came to power, they brought with them all the black arts
of sharp practice and spin that they had perfected in opposition. One of the
most dismal legacies of the new Labour mission has been to turn government
into a marketing exercise. The electorate now know they were sold a pup.
I am not naive about politics. Spin – putting a gloss on events – is as old as
politics itself . . . but it’s gone too far. Spin today is often downright
deceit. For all its faults, old Labour had a soul; new Labour only has
sound-bites and apparatchiks, careless of constitutional proprieties, who
will use any unscrupulous trick to benefit the Government.
This downward spiral began when Labour trashed the Government Information
Service and politicised news management. Until then, no one doubted the No
10 spokesman. Now, if No 10 tells you Friday follows Thursday, wise men
check the calendar. The consequence of this sophistry is profound and
damaging. If, tomorrow, this Government told Parliament that our nation was
under threat and we must go to war, would Parliament or the public rally
behind it without independent corroboration? I think not – and that is
unprecedented.
The Prime Minister has held office for ten years. That is remarkable. No one
can take away from him the lustre of three successive victories. But that is
the past. Now he is time-expired and will soon go.
But public cynicism will remain: how can it end while Labour remains in
government? Too much trust has been forfeited. The local elections will
provide an interim verdict.
It need not have been this way. Ten years ago Labour came in, inheriting a
buoyant economy with huge public goodwill and an unassailable majority. It
was an enviable political opportunity. In 1997 the electorate was told that
“things could only get better”. But, in 2007, what exactly is?
Year upon year, taxes have risen but, so far as I can see, there are few if
any signs that national (or local) public services are any better. Tax (and
council tax) payers are not alone in asking: “Where has all the money gone?”
Nurses, doctors, soldiers, civil servants, teachers – all line up in turn to
express their dissatisfaction. So does the public. Among an army of broken
promises, “education, education, education” rings especially hollow. It was
the right priority but delivery has been negligible. “24 hours to save the
NHS,” cried Labour on April 30, 1997. 87,600 hours later, what exactly has
been achieved?
Elsewhere, as the Home Office staggers from blunder to blunder, “tough on
crime, tough on the causes of crime” has disappeared from the ministerial
vocabulary. As for Labour being “whiter than white”, events have proved
otherwise. These fatuous slogans resonate in the ears of voters.
So does the Government’s conduct. Politicising the Civil Service; deleting
e-mails; massaging figures; manipulating facts; “burying bad news”;
presenting – and I put this more gently than Labour deserve – one-sided
cases to the public, even on taking this nation to war; all this is more
disreputable than anything we have seen before from a modern British
government. No one should be surprised that Labour supporters are dispirited
and can only find candidates for fewer than two thirds of the local
government seats up for reelection this week.
In the midst of all this, it is once again becoming an exciting time to be a
Conservative. Most of our party understand that we will only win if we
recapture the centre ground as well as holding the centre-right. Some
ancestral voices are unreconstructed. Some would rather move back than move
on. But the country has moved on. And the party must move on, too.
And it is. Of course, there is much more to be done, but David Cameron is
beginning to shape the political argument. The policy work is in hand.
George Osborne is working on a much-needed lower/flatter/simpler tax system.
Across the board, Shadow ministers are taking advice on how to deliver
better health, education and transport policies.
The future will be testing. The majority of economic growth will come from the
East; and the emerging world is likely to grow at three times the rate of
Western Europe. Iraq, Iran, the Arab-Israel conflict and Afghanistan are
long-term problems. Terrorism will not go away. A government bereft of trust
– as Labour now is – is ill-placed to deal with such an indigestible diet of
problems.
Soon Tony Blair will have gone. It is likely Gordon Brown will replace him. It
won’t be an improvement – or even much of a change. For this has not been a
Blair Government, but a Blair-Brown Government.
The Tories should concede to the Chancellor the credit he is due, even though
some of his claims are dubious. He has kept sterling out of the euro. He is
right to have done so. But, he inherited the opt-out for sterling – and the
referendum that helped him to withstand pressure to enter.
Mr Brown enjoys credit for the economy, but he did not create it. We had been
enjoying rising growth, falling inflation and higher employment since 1992 –
five years before he became Chancellor.
But he seems unwilling to take the blame for follies that are due to him:
wrecking private pensions; a tax credit scheme that has imploded, causing
distress to many low-income families; and selling gold at one third of its
present value. Nor should we forget soaring taxes and excessive regulation.
As his reputation collapses and his problems multiply, Mr Brown may become
prime minister. But I fear his honeymoon will be a stormy one. After long
periods in office, governments can face catastrophic defeats. We saw that in
1906, 1945 and 1997. The political landscape is changing again. The early
rumblings may begin to echo on Thursday.
The Labour reign has fundamentally failed both the swing voters of 1997 who were decisive in puting them in power three times, and the old core labour supporters who never left them. This is becuase "new" labour dont know who or what they are meant to be. It has been a failed marrige of the idealist and authoritarian, two unattrative characteristics of old labour and conservitism fused together which has proved to be of limited use in the modern political world. Tony Blair realised in 1992 that this country ( or rather its swing voters) are unquestionably slightly center right and conservative with a small c, and therefore the leopard had to change its spots. But are things any better? I would say they are a liitle better only just, but it has come at any unacceptible cost to British society that cant be maintained. Can this government therefore put to sleep the 21 century demons- social responsibilty, enviroment, sustainable and competitive economy through global cooperateration? No.
James Furlonger, Edinburgh, UK
Scotland is a mess. Drug abuse, fear of crime, poor education standards etc etc. Scots need to wake up and grab the bull by the horns today. We cant keep blaming the English for all of our ills.
The majority of the press have critisised Salmond today and it proves that the rest of the Uk is scared to lose Scotland and the Scots will no longer believe the lies we have been told in the past about not being able to go it alone economically.
The Scottish Sun, Scottish Daily Mail should be ashamed of themselves for todays front pages. Traitors or Englishmen running the titles I wonder which.
Martin Connelly, Stirling, SCOTLAND
I certainly hope so. I hope that tonight marks the beginning of the end of 10 years of spin over substance, of hypocritical politics, of Big Brother Government, of waste of public resources, of sleaze worse than anything sleazy the Tories ever did, of Blair's "holier than thou" preaching and so many things that the British people have had to swallow for the last 10 years. The time is ripe for change and the British people should take advantage of this!
Victor Lomark, Chelmsford, Essex
All he has done is state the obvious. Economic incompetence was the standard of Majors government, ERM, Inflation and massive public borrowing. Not to mention Maastricht. And, of course the sleaze. How he has the nerve to comment is beyond me and to top it all he is now a "sir".!!
Steve Byrne, Bournemouth, UK
In John Major and Tony Blair we've had two very sensible Prime Ministers who have more or less kept things as Margaret Thatcher left them. Since there is now a consensus on policy public attention has turned to personal fobiles, hence the appearance of sleaze at the end of both administrations. Hence also the perceived weakness of both Prime Ministers; if your army is not in battle there are fewer penalties for disobeying the chief.
Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK
Sorry Mr. Major, but it isn't an "exciting time to be a Conservative".
Frankly, it's an embarrassing time. Mr. Cameron makes me cringe each time he opens his mouth. If he isn't telling business people he will tax airfares, he's telling members of the public to vote Labour.
Perhaps the Conservatives will win the next general election, but it will be desperation that makes the electorate vote for them, not inspiration.
Stella, Salford, UK
come on people be fair john major was put in after Maggie
as the fall guy and it didn't happen he is a very cleaver
politician as for spin whats new .I cant understand which
part of fair taxation governments don't understand every
working person pays taxes and expects a fair days wage
for his work ,not to give it up in taxes entering the 21st century we need new tax policies which should be
capped and nil tax on all-savings once the money been taxed it should stay that way solves many problems.
george william taylor, hull, uk
I am always amused by New Labour supporters who start their comments about how awful the Tories were and everyone having short memories.
Well I have a long memory to - and can remember as a teenager Labour's Winter of Discontent when we couldn't bury our dead. As a result of this misery - the country voted Thatcher 3 times !
The fact remains that Tory economic and employment policy has remained largely unchanged under Blair - it has now been given a corporatist/socialist veneer to it. The current 'boom' - if indeed we can call it that - is due more to global economic factors than Gordon Brown.
And finally for all her weaknesses (and I am sure she had plenty) Thatcher had a lasting impact. Privatization and not state monopolies are the order of the day - even communist China follows that line.
And who said ' We are all Thatcherites now ' ? Yep. Peter Mandelson !
DaveL, Swindon, Wiltshire
Sir John how is this for a bit of political spin / good timing ?
I await with jaundiced perception the forthcoming address by the PM of EIRE to the upper and lower houses of the British Parliament. IE: Bertie Ahern on Northern Ireland.
Is this an exercise of mutual blackslapping / congratulation to assist both ends to gain Political credence in a time of election ? .
If so it insults those who have followed before including yourself Sir who brought the present position to exist.
In any event is it right or proper that the UK asist the promotion of Mr Ahern and his Political Party or any party in EIRE back into Office in [EIRE] a Soverign State outside the of the United .
You may well feel Sir Jojn that you are well shot of Politics as it has become in Westminster these days.
A great article you have published today by the way !.
RGDS
Donacha, Glenrothes, United Kingdom
I agree that the culture of spin has seriously discredited this government. The great irony of the Blair years is that it was the dropping of ideology, at least in terms of domestic policy (although interestingly the only ideology that has emanated from Blair is that of the liberal interventionist abroad), in favour of focus-group politics and ephemeral spin and presentation that brought labour out of the wilderness, yet could also ultimately consign New Labour to the dustbin of history. Unfortunately, John Major detracts from his fundamental argument by deploying too much negative spin of his own. Gordon Brown did not wreck pensions, but rather a series of elements came together to create the "perfect storm" for the UK pensions market - new accounting practices and tougher regulations that forced pension funds to switch to low-yield assets, effectively locking in losses for one. Likewise, not even John Major could have predicted the recent unprecedented boom in commodity prices.
JP, Edinburgh, UK
All of us who have been alive for more than 15 years remember the horrid farce of Major's Britain. Maybe New Labour are worse, I don't know, but Major's unstinting defence of his own pathetic premiership makes his criticisms far less valid.
Steffan, Neath,
Apert from the sales pitch towards the end it was a good article and reflects the distrust (and possibly disdain) with which this government is treated. I have never voted Conservative, but my regret was that when John Major was in power he didnt make more of his differences with Mrs Thatcher (unlike the present incumbent). John Major could have been a good PM and an inspiration to others. A lot of commentators were too busy laughing at him. For all his faults he was the last genuine Prime Minister we have had, but unfortunately hindsight is loo late. Unfortunately, I still have my doubts about 'Dave' and will still not be voting Conservative (or 'Nu' Labour - the other war party).
Bob, Gloucester UK,
Exellent. Elect that man.
Paul H , Brevard, FL
How depressing - sorry John!
I still think Tony was the right man for the job.
Roxanne, LONDON, UK
The best article that I have read in the "Comment" section for a very long time. An engaging synopsis and analysis of 10 years of Labour government.
Hrothgar, Schaumburg, IL, USA
Mr Major,
I only disagree with the title of your message - it should read 'A decade of spin and Terror'
Economists and statisticians will play with figures to justify their political views on how well the Blair regime has performed, but what cannot be hidden is the message that the present government has made this country a far more dangerous place in which to live.
I will never forgive Blair and his entourage of pals for taking us to War in the Middle East on the basis of lies, spin and extremely weak judgement. He has demonstrated time and again that he is a man of little substance, who believed that he could disregard the views of the people who elected him.
I for one never believed the mantra of 'things can only get better' but I never imagined that things could get this bad.
Tony Blair has been an extremely poor Prime Minister.
Spin and Terror are his legacy.
Steve, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Nice try John, but I've got a long memory. I left the UK during the tory years because of the massive unemployment and economic instability - unemployment that affected me personally and took me to the depths of despair . I've lived back in the UK on and off all this decade - living between the UK & Germany whilst remaining employed under the UK system. If the 10 years of a Labour Government has been, as you describe, a "missed opportunity", the how can the six and half years of your tenure (and 11years of Mrs Thatcher beforehand) be described?
If this is "bad", then shake me and remind me what "bad" really was. I lived it. It ain't Utopia but it's a damn site better than it was when the Tories left office. Ironically, to quote the words of long since departed (tory) Prime Minister - we've "never had it so good".......
Dave Brown, Dusseldorf, Germany
I agree that the Tories should promise to root out the corrupt changes that NuLab have made. Policies on this that and the other are OK, but NuLab has done some serious constitutional and legal damage and that needs to be recognised and corrected. We need to make sure that something like TB can never happen again. At the very least there needs to be enquiries set up to examine the worst of their errors.
John Small, Faversham, UK
The figures (rather like Jon's spelling) are not accurate. 1959 and 1974 saw high turnout at just under 80%. John Major won in 1992 with 77.7%, from whence the trend does seem to be downwards; 1997 - 71.2%, 2001 - 59.4% and 2005 - 61.4%. On balance, I think that John Major was close enough to the mark not to be criticised.
Peter Pedant, London, UK
GE turnout 1992 77.7%
GE turnout 2005 61.4%
can't see what Jon is aiming at. John Major is highlighting a general point using rounded figures.
steve , Cirencester, England
Oh come on John, the tories have always relied on spin - the tories' Campbell being the hate-filled editors of the Mail, the Sun, The Express etc.
The facts are that our economy is stronger thans it has ever been.
Unemployment is at a low (down from the 5 million of the Tory years).
I not a big fan of New Labour, but at least people are better off.
Crime - in the Northern cities was far worse under the Tories.
Education was dismal - it is now getting better - witness the results.
The NHS was rotten under the tories - it too is getting better.
What is it that has been so terrible about this administration?
kingkerouac, London,
All very true but the simple fact is that the citizens of modern democracies prefer to be lied to. Telling the truth makes you unelectable. The fault dear Brutus lies in ourselves.
Larry Seman, Broadview Heights, Ohio
For all their faults, old Tories (older than Major) had policies. New Tories do not even have that. And lying is not new either.
Ben, York,
John Major's Government rightly did not get the credit for five years of economic growth after 1992 because it only began once their policy of shadowing the ERM had been blown out of the water.
James, London, England
according to a university lecture i had recently on voter behaviour/turnout etc, these figures ARE roughly correct- 59% in june 2001 compared to 76% in 1979.
sarah, norwich,
A little ironic to criticise new-labour for talk-show politics when you're using the media to vent your side of events ;)
I agree on the whole though. People are disillusioned with New-Labour's record in office. Here was a party elected predominantly on the basis that they were credible, didn't lie and Blair in particular, came across as likeable and friendly. Ten years on, we've had fuel protests, the hutton inquiry, Dr Kelly's death, the NHS nearly crippled, the misleading reasons that have led to a war in Iraq and more recently the cash for honours and honours for jobs scandals. If Blair was in any other job in any other industry at director level, he'd be fired in months. No question.
Ade, Tooting Broadway, London
The figures for Turnout are broadly accurate in 1992 the Turnout was 77.7% which is just shy of 80%, in 2005 61.4%. So to say an 80% to 60% move is accurate in a rule of thumb way. The article is very well written and shows that a sense of balance is acheivable even from a partisan figure.
James, Hoddesdon, UK
Great rhetoric. Keep the politicians out of the papers!
Patrick, NL,
The title cries havoc against the deceitful art of the media-savvy politician. Yet Cameron is a new breed in the world of slick, talk-show politics.
I have respect for the grafters, like Hague and Brown, who have a passing interest in getting things done.
Yet to prod and poke a decade of PR politics while standing behind the pearly Cheshire whites of David C. is hypocritical.
As Sir John might say, it's just not cricket!
Mark, Woking, UK
Well, I never thought the day would come when I would agree with John Major. Mind you, I should include Michael Portillo in that as well. But I do. Project NuLab has had a disastrous effect on politics in ths country, and they are rightly loathed. A good kicking is in order, then lets show Brown the door. They have betrayed the country and damaged democracy, perhaps fatally.
Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State
How can you trust any politician that believes that it is a coincidence that both NY and London had 'drills' that closely matched the 'terrorist' attacks on the very same days?
Jonnie, Leeds, UK
I believe it was Margaret Thatcher who, as then Prime Minister, eventually apologised to Parliament for misunderstandings about (misleading?) statements she had made to Parliament ref. Falklands War.
Trying to score political points about the integrity,or otherwise, of politicians - by politicians (even retired ones don't change their spots) - is the biggest 'spin' of all :)
Keith, Bengtsfors, Sweden
The Tories knew about the extent of nulabor's corruption even before nulabor was elected. It is understandable, for the first term, that the Tories were hamstrung by the public perception of Tories being sleazy or corrupt..
But from that point on, there was absolutely no excuse for successive Tory leaders to ignore the evidence of fraud and corruption that was presented to them - the evidence was even acknowledged!
It is only now, when nulabor are virtually dead, that the Tories speak out, and only now because they scent blood.
It would be a great service to the country if the Tories made and kept a promise to purge the corruption from our Town Halls, Civil Service, and Government Institutions - put right what has been wrong, and put back together the lives of those who have been destroyed for no other reason than having been arbitrarily deemed to be a potential threat to nulabor.
martin brighton, sheffield,
"80% to 60%". Those figures arnt accurate.
Jon, Coventry, UK
It would seem to me that every time government has a "policy" on something it is a disaster so how about common sense not failed policy ideas from left or right.Use that which works from around the world.stop creating new problems but deal with existing ones.
mitch, wolverhampton, england
Given the current government's record, can it be trusted to protect us from the terrorist threat that we now face? I, for one, do not believe that it can. I think it is now the time to give responsibility for this immense challenge to a cross-party group of our most highly respected politicians. Sir John would be eminently qualified to lead this team. I feel sure that many others would share my view.
Charles, London, England
As far as I am concerned Sir John was the best PM since WW2.
I do hope the Electorate will not be so easily hoodwinked by Labour next time as in 1997. Anyway who wants a Scotsman as PM ! !
dennis, Harrogate, UK
To quote Simon Heffer many years ago, "What John Major has in Industrial quantities is vanity". In the same breath that he boasts about "rising growth, falling inflation and higher employment since 1992" (all entirely due to the collapse of HIS ERM policy on Wed Sep 16th 1992, he goes on to say, "But he [Gordon Brown] seems unwilling to take the blame for follies that are due to him:". Oh yes, and when did JM ever say sorry for the £5Bill lost on Black Wednesday and all the misery that that policy caused by lengthening and deepening an already ferocious recession?! Not to mention the fact that he permanently lost the Conservative Party's reputation for economic competence and thus kicked open the door for the Blair peril when his grubby little government finally limped to its death ten years ago! Oh just retire with some grace and be silent Sir John Major KG - even in her current state if ill health your predecessor is worth 20 of you.
Marcus, London,
10 years is 87648 hours surely? Given in any ten year period there are 2 leap years.
Ed, London,
I agree totally with Sir John Major. I was a teacher when Labour came in. I'd had enough of reforms even then, because we were already being squeezed tightly enough to hear the pips squeek! Things loosened up for a bit , we could actually teach the way we should: the children learned,,, and how! Maybe they couldn't spell as well as they should ( you drop spelling at your peril, no matter the cost to the child! Same with maths and telling the time -think of the miriad ways we express what time it is and see if you don't feel put on the spot!) Suddenly we were producing washing machines, not people as the media howled about falling standards. Employers were upset. Reading was not "caught" by cushions on the floor and a bush. But the girls prospered. The boys did not: reading progress was too easily measured by reading schemes which were "girly" anyway. Kids are smart. So the boys downed tools and became disruptive. What's the point of it? It was wonderful once. Test it and ... PHUTT!
Carlyle Braden, Croydon, U.K
Dear John, Your write up gave a nice kaleidoscopic view of the local elections, and some ground realities, which at times are either ignored or put off, in electing the Government at the center.As a PM, you would have gained immense hands-on experience and expertise in tackling the subtle nuances of political chicaneries. Burning issues like Tax structures, NHS, Social securities, Public service and Utilities are at times camouflaged and put on the back burner .The are very micro level triggers, affecting the lives of locals. On the contrary more macro level issues like Middle east, Iraq, Afghanistan, Hostages, are at times snowballed and blown out of propotions , to give a real spin off.....what a waste of time ???? Gullible folks and commoners, are beguiled and get tangled with them ,so be it Blair or Brown it makes no difference. Political cronies and appratachiks gain a mileage out of it.Your article is a good eye opener and reflects upon such key subjects at the hustings.
Sandy, New Delhi, India