Labor is leaving absolutely nothing to chance.
With four consecutive general election defeats tattooed into its psychology, it is a party now determined to do what history tells us it succeeds far less often than the Conservatives: win.
This means that every aspect of his approach is worth examining, as many elements have been given careful thought.
The event to present their key messages for the coming months – the bridge, they hope, between local election results and the call of the general election – was remarkable in itself.
Literally remarkable, because it had a scale, ambition and probably budget normally associated with a party conference or the moment an election campaign officially begins.
This looks like the launch of a campaign for parliamentary elections this summer, which are now widely expected for the fall.
It was in a movie studio, among other places.
In the center, quasi-presidential style, Sir Keir Starmer.
His jacket and tie were nowhere to be found, nor were the buttons on his cuffs, his sleeves rolled up just below his elbow.
This may seem superficial, even trivial, but these kinds of things don’t happen by chance.
They don’t consider it superficial or trivial, otherwise they wouldn’t do it. So we shouldn’t do it either.
Sir Keir didn’t leave half his clothes on the train by mistake.
It is a carefully crafted image, with striking similarities to the last Labor leader to achieve what Sir Keir is trying: to actually win.
Sir Tony Blair opted for a casual look, tied but top button undone.
He also had a commitment card which is not very different from the commitment card that the party currently presents.
Image source, Popular History Museum / PA
He also had a commitment card which is not very different from the commitment card that the party currently presents.
“My first steps” it is called – note the possessive – alongside a photo of Sir Keir.
As for what he wore and what he didn’t wear, the Labor leader told me: “It’s about doing politics in a different way.” It’s about trying to convey the type of leader I am, my mindset and what I have. in my mind when I make decisions. »
He added: “I have to lead from the front, I’ve led various organizations. You always have to lead from the front. Be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish, how you’re going to achieve it.”
His shadow cabinet colleague Steve Reed, a guest on the BBC news, told me his boss “looked very professional”.
“That’s what he looks like,” Reed said. “I think there’s an authenticity to the way he came across. I’ve known the guy for a long time. That’s how he comes across when you talk to him.”
Speaking of image, and perhaps trying to appear relaxed and conversational, Sir Keir interviews us standing and almost always leaning to his left, resting his arm against a railing or whatever is nearby.
The strategic aim of the party’s promises this week is to give its candidates and senior officials something to talk about between now and the time when the general election is actually called.
These are what politicians like to call their “retail package” – ideas they can boil down to one or two ready-made sentences and repeat over and over again until people notice.
Everything is not there – for example, housing is not there.
Expect the party to address this vital topic for so many in the coming days.
Insiders say the absence of an idea among the six “first steps” does not mean it is no longer a priority.
They cite the national minimum wage, a flagship idea of the Labor government of the late 1990s, which was in the party’s 1997 manifesto, but which was not on their pledge card at the time.
Taken together, the theater of the launch and the words themselves, I am witnessing the Labor Party with a lust for power I have never seen before.
It is a desire for power, rooted and fueled by the number of times he has failed to do so, not only in the last decade but in the last century.
Psychology, with so much history, looms large.
News Source : www.bbc.com
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