A Very Small Leaflet

Labour's election propaganda has duly arrived; and it is, as one might expect given all they've got to boast about, the smallest portion so far. It is the size of a compliment slip, smaller even than UKIP's A5 flyer, let alone the Lib Dems' folded A4 sheet and the Conservatives' fake newsletter. It appears to have been dropped through the door after an attempt at face-to-face canvassing, since it is inscribed "Philip - sorry I missed you". Oh, well.

As on her website, Alison Moore's solution to the problem of defending New Labour's record in office is simply to avoid mention of it. If one wishes to visit the alternative planet where Labour has been fighting for justice, helping poor people, greening the economy and bombing only the unrighteous for the last decade or so, one can always read their manifesto; but for all one can gather from the leaflet, the election on 6 May will be purely a local affair. There is a pledge to "work for a sustainable environment", although it is not clear whether this will entail supporting or opposing the Glorious Successor's plans for cuddly coal, sustainable uranium and indefinitely expandable airports; but aside from this, not a single national issue is mentioned - not war, not constitutional reform, not torture, not faith schools, not the economy, not transport, not Europe, not immigration, not child imprisonment, not the City and its little games, not the database state, not even Tony's chum Rupert Murdoch. The website says something about being proud of the NHS, which means precisely nothing: Daveybloke and his Cuddly Coulson will happily emulate New Labour and throw in a bit of NHS with their immigrant-bashing and dead-child-waving as long as they imagine it will gain their party votes; though I suppose the absence of the usual tripe about savage cuts that won't affect frontline services is something to be grateful for. The slogan on the leaflet is "Putting local people first", and the promises are to defend our local hospitals and police teams, support our children and families and fight for a fair deal for our older people - as opposed, presumably, to defending, supporting and fighting for those in Hendon or Chipping Barnet or Islington North or even, perish the thought, sticking up for the interests of that miserable gang of warmongers, incompetents, nonentities and common criminals in Whitehall.