Labour party to hire electoral staff
Jeanne:
September 28th, 2007
Britain’s Labour party has commenced hiring electoral staff, thereby leading to much speculation that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, intends to call a general election in the not-too-distant future. The party has asked a number of individuals, many of whom already work as lobbyists for the party, if they would be willing to commence work on election-related tasks from Monday. These individuals would be responsible for a broad range of tasks, from logistics to dealing with the media.
However, Labour insiders have argued that their party’s recent employee acquisitions should not be taken as a sign that a general election is on the cards. Furthermore, Gordon Brown continues to claim that he has no intention to make an immediate announcement. However, as one analyst has pointed out, Labour’s recent hiring campaign was an indication that the Party “had moved beyond contingency planning to active preparation for an election campaign, which a growing number believe Mr. Brown is about to launch.” Pressure for a snap election has come from younger members of the Labour government, including David Miliband, and the current education secretary, Ed Balls. Speaking to the media, Mr. Balls stated:
“They [the public] need to know the nature of the very real and clear choice facing the country in the coming years – a Labour party and government led by Gordon Brown and a Conservative government led by David Cameron.”
The Conservative Party has suggested that they are fully prepared for a general election whenever it may be called. The Party has accumulated some £10 million in funds for election-related expenditures. Conservative party strategists have also highlighted so-called ‘target seats’. Further plans for an upcoming election are likely to be made when Conservative party members meet next week for their annual conference in Blackpool. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to announce a general election so that the public can pass judgement on the present administration. The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, voiced his opinion on the matter in a recent interview:
“The continuous speculation is bad for the economy, bad for the political process and bad for public confidence in the government. The Liberal Democrats are ready and waiting for a general election as soon as possible.”