Tactical Ineptitude; not Boris promoting London

This week has seen my voice become horse and my flatmates deafened; after two weeks off I’m back to watching political television.

Not much has changed; Labour’s failures are still being exampled, the Conservatives look arrogant under pressure and the Lib Dems are meekly squeaking, yet for some reason UKIP are finding a strong platform to vocalise and the Green Party, a party gaining recognition, seem absent.

Debates and hot topics have thrown up a mass of ineptitude and the Labour party have particularly disappointed; though Miliband looks more assured as party leader his content seems as sparse as past Labour promises.

Two subjects have been strongly debated this week, both giving us an insight into where our future leaders may be heading.

The Leveson Inquiry recommended statutory underpinning, an idea Mr Cameron seemed to support until officially suggested, so perhaps a peek into today’s press and recent by-election gives us a clue why.

The Rotherham by-election saw a Labour hold while also seeing UKIP’s popularity rising; a key factor in this by-election was the declining  Conservative/LibDem vote, a trend that is sure to continue, but is Mr
Cameron’s decision to challenge the Leveson Inquiry a first big move in his campaigning efforts?

A unified back patting by the major print media might hint it is, today almost all lead with the story concerning SAS soldier Danny Nightingales release for illegal possession of a pistol. The press has heavily leant on this story as an example of their important role exposing injustice and fighting the corner of sensibility but perhaps Mr Cameron sees this as a crack in the door to find a sympathetic ear.

Changes will be made, we the people and some abhorrent events have created that pressure, but Cameron is in a unique position where he can affect how much damage the print media will actually have on his party; this perhaps is a juncture that could define how strategic he really is.

One Leveson supporter is the Lib Dems Nick Clegg; fitting it is that the ‘fine as we are’ media is
acknowledging his opinion with little curiosity.

The Leverson Inquiry has been very divisive, and to many feels like the people vs. corporations; whichever side you’re on if there is no real change we can be sure this discussion will trouble a future, hopefully braver Prime Minister.

For an eloquent perspective it might be an idea to seek out Charlotte Church’s opinion; her knowledge and experience is only overshadowed by her intelligent presentation of perspective.

Apart from the Leveson Inquiry the Work Program also caused a stir; though many would agree Miliband ‘got one up’ on Mr Cameron he showed a lack of policy comprehension and seemed to read from his banter pamphlet.
Perhaps he does know the positives and negatives of Labour’s equivalent, but so far he has offered no real comprehension and has missed many opportunities to challenge Cameron’s criticisms. Even less has been offered by the Liberal Democrats and at times you could be forgiven for forgetting they exist; the next year will see them fall into obscurity or tread water, in their current state they seem neither brave nor confident enough to regain the trust of its members, let alone swing voters.

When it comes to employment there is little in the way of a long term plan balancing austerity where it is needed and investment where employment can grow. This is where Miliband should learn from his party’s mistakes, and Cameron should rethink his current course.

Labour opened the avenue for private assistance and this has suited Conservatives aims, the public sector has had its wings clipped while the private sector has been encouraged to gamble for success. It’s a competition with no way of deciding a victor and the JobCentres, who are the first port of call for the unemployed, are structured to refer and not aid.

It perhaps would’ve been pertinent to rethink the current balance and spend less on short term fixes but instead we’ve furthered the third sector from the discussion and gone back to the private sector to establish the solution.

Labour and the Lib Dems are offering little in the way of solutions and skipping over any innovative discussion, perhaps at this stage of austerity we should be taking the third sector seriously and begging them for assistance, they have of course being picking up the slack dealt by such an isolated employment strategy.

This week should alert party strategists, but also serve to concern the optimistic; party politics and policy are unravelling and perhaps the coalition cracks are finally widening beyond masking.