Time for Self-Reflection?

The Plaistow South results might reasonably be expected to cause Labour’s activists a period of thought. They might wish to consider whether any of their actions had contributed towards such a defeat. They might want to ponder whether something needed to change before they face the electorate again. A time of honest self-appraisal might cause them to look at whether it was their messaging that was wrong or whether the problem was ‘the message’.

If voters are fed up with the offer from Labour, then Newham Labour have deep problems. It might mean that they have to distance them-selves from the current mayor.

However good Ash Singh was, knowing that there was going to be an organized Muslim vote for the Independents, it was a brave decision to stand a Sikh against a Bangladeshi Muslim in a ward where there is a growing Bangladeshi population, (the ward now has a population with 32% Muslims). But perhaps Labour has run out of Muslim candidates.

Both the political messaging and the real-politick of tackling communitarian voting will need to be addressed by Labour.

But then we learned the following from a Labour canvasser. It was sent on WhatsApp to activists who had helped on the campaign by the organiser of the Plaistow South election campaign, Cllr John Morris.

“I want to thank everyone in this group for their hard work on this campaign. While every activist played a role. It was the leaders in this group that enabled those activists to make an impact. I'm especially pleased by the discipline shown in the data collection, which has improved significantly during the campaign. “

It would appear that he is in denial. Plaistow South was an embarrassment of the highest order, but he is congratulating the comrades on their “impact” and “data collection”.

And while we are reflecting on impact and data collection, we gleaned from canvassers during the campaign that the returns were showing up to 70% support for Labour. But Labour achieved only 21% of the votes cast.

Their impact appears to have been non-existent. And all the effort collecting data seems a little superfluous given that it is clearly worthless.

Lewis Baston gives an interesting analysis of the byelection in OnLondon.