| Topic: | The Hammersmith Bridge rally | |
| Posted by: | Barry Elms | |
| Date/Time: | 09/01/26 09:49:00 |
While I’m very supportive of the aims of the rally for opening up Hammersmith Bridge this month, it is probably a waste of time. The cold hard reality is that Labour is going to dispense infrastructure spend to maximise its political advantage and, although reopening the bridge is desperately needed, it probably won’t help secure the current government any extra seats. What money is available, and that probably is very little with Trump threatening to invade Greenland which would cause a global financial crisis, will be spent on marginal Labour seats in the north and midlands. Locally, Labour will have written off Chelsea and Fulham already and Sarah Olney looks secure in Richmond Park. The Conservatives are making inroads in Putney but, and I say this as someone who has never voted for her, Fleur Anderson is well-liked and effective MP and should hang on even with the party’s disastrous poll ratings. I don’t know about Hammersmith and Chiswick but the MP there has a big majority. The danger with this rally is that, when it yields no result, the enthusiasm of people to turn up might diminish creating the impression that people are becoming more used to the current situation. Go to the event if you want but you need to accept that you will need to do the same annually for the next five years if you have any hope of persuading the government to stump up. |