Euro Elections: Comment
Well, what can I say? The Tories had the best night at the polls that I can remember, trouncing Labour by 8%. However, there are two ways in which such a result can be taken.
The first way is that of the ardent party activist, which is to say that the results were a resounding endorsement of William Hague's European policies, and in particular, keeping the pound for the foreseeable future. The voters reject the idea of a European single currency and super-state; the Tories are well on the road to recovery.
The second way, though, is slightly more realistic. It must be noted at this point that the turnout for these elections was historically low: 23% across the country, with lows of 10% reported. Can this really be viewed as a resounding victory for any party? It could be argued that only Tory voters bothered to turn out and vote, stung in action. It could also be argued that this was turned into a one-issue election by the Tories, which served only to bring out the Eurosceptics.
Thus we have to conclude that, while recognising this was an extraordinarily good night for the Tories, there are some extenuating factors. And the success here does not seem to have translated across the wider political spectrum: the Tories are still as low in the polls as ever. I await with interest the next round of elections.