Vibes only: Starmer’s contract hit the right note but do voters care?
Sir Keir’s speech was a hit because he celebrated winners, the country he wishes to lead, and the public. But were voters listening?
At first I was worried. Talk of a “contract” really sounds very dated. As others have said, it evokes the Ed Stone or the short lived hope in the Scottish Vow.
Nevertheless, Sir Keir really was making a contract with the public and him which was based on vibes only.
That is: while I’m leader there is nothing you have to fear when it comes to Labour. I will respect you and your values. I’m a safe pair of hands.
As Stephen Bush has said (I paraphrase) — policies are not something taken into the polling booth. Vibes are.
So, while some commentators mocked Sir Keir’s vibes only approach to speech writing (“security, prosperity, respect” was dismissed as another “abstract noun list”), I agree with its approach.
Yes, it’s not the majesty of Obama’s rhetoric, but neither is it the 9/11 speech made in Family Guy by Lois Griffin.
For the average voter engagement with politics is (at best) minimal. They take vibes from snatches of speeches clipped for radio or TV or Facebook.
The calm but Prime Ministerial vibes that Sir Keir’s speech gave off was a victory.
Speaking of victories… Sir Keir was asked pointedly about Corbyn not being included in the list of Labour leaders worth celebrating (neither was Brown).
Sir Keir took the question straight on — he respects winners.
And so do the public. No one wants a damp squib hovering nervously over the nuclear button. That’s why no one could see Ed Miliband in Number 10 however much they hated Cameron’s policies. And let’s not even start on the public’s perception on Corbyn.
Sir Keir gets it, and respects the public enough to dump his clear political influence (Brown) for the sake of making a good, solid, point.
And on that “respect” point. I said back last year Olaf Scholz was the man Labour needed to look to when it comes to winning in a post-Trump post-Brexit post-Crash world.
And that core word that came up through the calm, almost robotic, tones of Scholz’s speeches? Respect.
Sir Keir said today: “People have their dignity and it needs to be respected. I want to live in a country in which crucial skills are valued.
“In which everyone is respected for what they contribute. And in the Britain we make, we will all play by the rules.”
Compare that with this write up of Scholz’s victory which quoted SDP minister Wolfgang Schmidt: “‘That’s why Olaf Scholz talked a lot about respect.
“‘Somebody without a college degree should not get the impression [that] he or she is seen as part of a “basket of deplorables.”’”
Gone are the voices of the Labour Left who bang on about niche and metropolitan obsessions which alienate and ostracise crucial C2DE voters.
Starmer took people back to the themes espoused at Conference 2021 which celebrated the often overlooked jobs and blue-collar workers who have felt left behind (or worse attacked) by Labour.
Part of that respect is: do you like the country you want to lead?
Sadly, the public (and frankly many well-refreshed but honest Labour members), did not think the past leader actually liked the UK. Sir Keir is getting ahead of this narrative (partly boosted by the endless “London lawyer” trope which is tied with the vaguely antisemitic North London Elites Who Hate Us etc).
Yes, it was no Hugh Grant (but is the British public really in a place for such a speech?) but elements of that famous speech were there. This will be warmly received. It’s simple politics — do you like the country you want to lead? If so, have some respect for its flag, “do your tie up, and sing the National Anthem.”
That’s why I thought it was particularly bizarre that so many journalists have focused questions mockingly asking about the flags used by Sir Keir when he makes public statements.
SW1 and Fleet Street might be embarrassed by public displays of patriotism but voters aren’t. Sir Keir recognises that, makes it seem natural (rather than absurd like some Tories), and gets on with it.
Yet, after all that: will voters take note? Are we still in a space where people are ditching the Tories and moving to Don’t Know rather than jumping ship to Sir Keir’s Labour?
Speeches like these are an attempt to “welcome home” voters who have left Labour long, long, ago. Can Sir Keir get his point across beyond the general buzz of back-to-school, Covid, TV, work, and general life?
Time will tell, but there is clearly a desire to turn those DKs into VL pretty damn soon. A major test is in May for the local elections. If Sir Keir is to do it these speeches need to be heard and accepted by voters.
