Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Quickfire
20 June 2022

Of course the rail strikes are Labour’s fault. Everything is

As the Tories’ grip weakens, the government’s default response to crisis is to blame it on the opposition.

By Zoë Grünewald

You must know the drill by now. Global recession? That’s Labour’s fault. Brexit deadlock? That’s also Labour’s fault. Dropped your phone in the toilet? Don’t worry, that’s Labour’s fault too. 

It might not make a great deal of sense to you, but that’s OK. Just remember: if anything bad happens, blame Labour.

The latest iteration of this narrative is soon to be coming to a station near you. Three days of strikes by railway workers over pay and working hours are set to paralyse national rail networks. The Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted that strikes could cost the UK economy almost £100 million, with 250,000 people unable to work on the first day of walkouts. Ugh. Thanks a lot, Labour.

As a number of shadow cabinet ministers voiced some degree of support for the strikers, Conservative Campaign Headquarters gleefully rubbed its hands together, realising it could once again bring out an old faithful. Instead of accepting their role as, erm, the government, the Tories deflect and try to blame the party that has not been in power for well over a decade. Indeed, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has refused to negotiate with the unions, saying that it simply isn’t the government’s place to intervene. “It’s always the employer and the union who need to get together to speak,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this fighting sounds more like the stuff of the campaign trail than governance. There is about two years until the next scheduled general election, so it would be a little premature for the Conservatives to be firing up their election cylinders now. When you consider Boris Johnson’s weakened premiership, however, the Tories’ twelve-year grip on power looks increasingly fragile.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Your guide to the best writing across politics, ideas, books and culture - both in the New Statesman and from elsewhere - sent each Saturday. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

On Friday it was reported that Lynton Crosby, the Australian political strategist and election guru, has been attending Johnson’s meetings in No 10. Though it’s widely known that Crosby has helped various Conservative electoral campaigns, the revelation that he attends the Prime Minister’s morning meetings has raised eyebrows. Crosby’s presence makes one wonder about where Johnson’s priorities lie: fixing the problems, or shifting the blame to someone else?

Content from our partners
A better future starts at home
How to create an inclusive workplace and embrace neurodiversity
Universal Credit falls short of covering the bare essentials. That needs to change

Johnson and his government are now only concerned with acquiring and maintaining power. I have written before that Johnson’s government has been built on divisive issues, starting with Brexit, and is increasingly flailing without coherent policies. Policymaking has never been a priority for Johnson. Adequate crisis management does not, for Johnson or Crosby, win elections: emotive cultural dividing lines do. Associating Labour with union power harks back to such a dividing line under Thatcher, who called unions the “enemy within” and tried to destroy their influence. It’s a deflection tactic, and it’s worked for Johnson and Crosby in the past.

The weakened Tories are now permanently in campaign mode, provoking Labour, stoking cultural divides to cling to power while blaming the opposition for the nation’s ills. In the end even the flailing suits the party strategy: knock everything over and blame Labour.

Topics in this article : , ,