BBC Poll Tracker.

If you can manage to tear yourself away from the 'EUROs' then you may want to look at the 'BBC Poll Tracker'. We have seen the party leaders all vying for our vote on BBC, Sky, ITV, etc. Do these performances affect the way people vote? The answer to that is yes, it must do. These leader's debates give us the chance to see what these party leaders are like. When they are faced with hard-faced presenters/interviewers and a live audience. Although, no doubt, the audience's questions are already screened. As to whether the party leaders know what the interviewer/presenter is going to ask them, that's an interesting one.

There is a mood in the country that seems to be crying out for change. 14 years of Tory misrule, mismanagement, cutbacks, etc have made people mistrustful of the Tories. Labour is the natural choice to replace the Conservatives. According to polls, pundits, and the public, everything predicts a Labour landslide. Akin but much more, than Tony Blair's victory over John Major in 1997. Back then Blair's landslide pushed the Tories from power. Back then, in the '90s times were more optimistic akin to the '60s when Harold Wilson was in power. Just as the '60s was a vibrant time in music and fashion, so was the '90s. Today, however, after Brexit, after COVID, with wars and rumours of wars (to quote Christ) and the cost of living, 2024 for many is not a happy place for many of us.

So, as much as Starmer is compared to Blair, the only similarity both men have is that they are Labour leaders. Farage called Sir Keir "Blair without the flair" indicating Starmer does not have the charisma that Blair had. That's probably true, however, to compare like for like is unfair. Just because people do the same job, whatever that job is, does not mean they will do it the same way. So, Sir Keir is in a pivotal position like Blair to return Labour to power in 2024. Both men were/are Labour leaders but they will bring their own life experiences to the job.

As for comparing John Major with Rishi Sunak again the only similarity they have is that they are Prime Minister. John Major came from a working-class background in Brixton. Whereas Sunak comes from Southampton and is from a well-to-do background. Major was perhaps more relatable and understood the struggles of ordinary folk. Whereas, Sunak when pushed by an ITV interviewer said he went without 'Sky TV'. Big deal, back in the day, many could not afford 'Sky TV'. Sunak suffers from what many well-off people suffer from when trying to understand the lives of the not-so-well-off. Even if they are genuine in trying to help and understand the poor, even the most generous philanthropists, will not understand a life that goes without the things, they take for granted. It comes down to one simple fact, unless you have lived the life experience of the people you aim to help or serve (if that's Sunak's intention?) you will be lacking in that knowledge. As Depeche Mode observed in their song "Try Walking in My Shoes"!

So, in line with that, the groundswell of opinion that Labour will win, here is the 'BBC's Poll Tracker':

Labour 42%.

Conservatives 21%

Liberal Democrats 15%

Reform UK 15%

Greens 6%

SNP (Scottish National Party) 3%

PC (Welsh Nationalists) 1%

Polls suggest Labour has dipped a bit. There is no good news for the Conservatives either according to a BBC Analyst. Labour, are on average still 20 points ahead of the Conservatives. The Lib-Dems are also on the rise. No doubt, because their leader Ed Davey, is prepared to make a fool of himself. Watch some of his antics when out campaigning you'll see what I mean!

Since Nigel Farage has returned to be the leader of 'Reform UK' the party's fortunes have gone up. Whether the 'Farage bounce' will see him, Richard Tice and others become the first Reform MPs remains to be seen.

Finally, one thing is for certain, this general election is shaping up to be very different. Vastly different to those that have gone before. Vastly different in the fact that it could be groundbreaking in how all the political parties do at this general election.

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