Thirsk & Malton: The first referendum on coalition government

by Jonathan Roberts

This week we will see the first referendum on the Lib Dem-Tory coalition.

After the death of UKIP candidate John Boakes, the election in Thirsk & Malton was postponed until May 27th, and the voters of North Yorkshire will be the first to shed light on the public mood of the Cameron-Clegg era.

This rural seat was always going to be a tough ask for me as the candidate, but long before Mr Boakes’ death, it was the biggest campaign Labour had ever run in the area. With limited resources, suddenly people who hadn’t heard from a Labour candidate in decades were getting knocks on the door and leaflets through letterboxes.There is, I tell people here, no place in the country where Labour values are not needed.
We’re beginning to see signs of progress, due both to the local Party’s hard work, and to the displeasure of the coalition.

We have to remember that the Tories around here aren’t Cameron’s cuties, they’re the old fashioned True Blue Thatcherites. With an aggressive campaign from UKIP’s replacement candidate, and with general disillusionment at the Tory candidate (who the party tried to deselect last year), we should keep an eye on the Tory turnout this coming Thursday in their own heartland.

At the same time the Liberal Democrat core vote is looking elsewhere. I’m receiving more calls and emails from those describing themselves as being ‘ex Lib Dem’ than anything else, and with a Liberal Party Candidate also set to gain from the coalition, the Lib Dem’s could get a bloody nose here. Their supporters tell me on the doorstep that they vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out, yet now they know that if they cast their votes the same way they will merely be voting to prop the Tories up in Number 10.

Winning this seat is going to be a tall order – but a reduction in the Tory and Lib Dem vote
so soon after the coalition was formed could add a new dimension to the political instability ahead of us.

We as a party are embarking on a new journey, post-New Labour and post-Blair/Brown. We have a selection of excellent candidates for the leadership, and with a few months to play with we will have time to figure out how we reclaim the role as the party of new ideas and hope, and how once again we can become the true party of change.

The process of internal renewal has already begun, but the business of winning back the public could well start this Thursday. Keep an eye on Thirsk and Malton this coming Thursday.