Why Labour Lost

Why were Labour kicked out ? The more you think about it that more perplexing that simple question becomes.It was not the handling if the banking crisis, which helped Brown ( justifiably). Not Iraq which would hardly drive you to the Conservative Party …ok Liberals may have benefitted a bit ( but opposition was evident in the Labour Party too).Not the recession, the effects of which were carefully deferred .Services ? Hard to argue they have not improved , even if value for money has worsened .Lisbon….doubt it, much as it irritates me few care Immigration ? Plenty would say so but I just don’t see that alone as directing many votes.
Its true that the abject mishandling of the Economy is an unanswerable and serious offence but Labour were unpopular long before the risks they were running became clear. Its also true that New Labour have drifted left , wasted money and seemed to be only on the side of the Public Sector ,unions and Labour regions … . Twas ever thus that is the core vote …
I am unimpressed with the whole authoritarian / ID card thing personally , the smoking ban annoyed me more ,and corruption was evenly spread .
The Camerooning of the Conservative Party is , I think , an underestimated factor and New Labour responded by attacking the centre ground in effect which was foolish .The domination of Labour was much exaggerated by the rigged system but that did not effect this election.
All of these things are part of it but none alone , each of them alienated another few none was decisive .The question is why did Labour irritate the country one by one ,why when the gears were grinding did they drive on ?Its that odd thing power does .New Labour became less and less like anyone you have ever met in real life .Inward looking , resentful , passive aggressive to a fault and currently conducting a patently insincere show of self loathing.Sounds like a waffle I know but ultimately the head shot was ‘time for change’, and this human problem is why people are right that the psychological pond was brackish and foul.
Bottom line - if you want people to like you try being likeable.