Many articles have been published since Labour's crushing defeat in the UK general election four days ago, with most correctly citing Jeremy Corbyn's failed leadership in spite of the overwhelming dysfunction brought to the country by the Conservatives and PMs Theresa May and Boris Johnson over Brexit. The ruling party has seemingly requested more extensions than the US Republican party has attempted Obamacare repeals, but Corbyn and his party still couldn't package a messaging platform that spoke DIRECTLY to this and provided an objective, disciplined alternative to the mess Brits are so sick of.
This is the result of avoidance. Avoidance of a conversation on values and an embrace of policy positions alone in its place. Labour's platform included ambitious policies on green energy, expanded public services, free college and financial assistance to parents with young children. What the platform did not include, however, was a clear strategy on how to talk about national values and what citizens should expect from their government, and how that then gives credibility to the policies they want their voters to enthusiastically support.
John Burn-Murdoch and his team at the Financial Times put together some fascinating visuals showing how the working class, despite economic uncertainty thanks to Brexit and the ruling party, nevertheless broke even stronger for the Conservatives this time.
I don't know if it's simply elitism as some say, but it seems to me liberal politicians in both the UK and the US are working from an assumption that values are clear and consistent across their parties and beyond, and therefore policy positions only need to be laid neatly on top for courteous debate. This is not true at all. We live in a fragmented society that calls for loud voices shouting crystal clear specifics. It's not a time for assumptions.
My favorite political observer, David Brooks of the New York Times, correctly analyzed the same problem among the Democratic primary contenders back in the summer after one of their first debates. Asked by Judy Woodruff of the PBS Newshour, he replied, "my main takeaway is Democrats don't understand what this [upcoming] election is about. This election is about Donald Trump and what kind of country we're going to be, what the values of our country are going to be. Trump is a cultural revolutionary... he has a values campaign. And you can't beat a values revolution with a policy proposal."
I hope Democrats come to understand this before we see a similar result over here in America next year.