Most democratic forms of political governance are made up of a governing party or parties, as well as an opposition of at least one other political party. Democracies works best when there is more than one credible choice for the electorate to choose from, with the flip side being they work worst when it is widely perceived that there is no credible choice at all.
This highlights the importance of having a credible opposition that is seen as being capable of governing should voters decide they want a change. Not only that, a credible and well-performing opposition leads to better governance due to keeping those in power on their toes and holding them to account. In short, a poor opposition makes poor governing more likely.
The feedback I generally receive tells me the Conservative opposition at Crawley Borough Council has performed these roles well since we went into opposition in May 2014. I am certain that Labour in Crawley are kept on their toes and perform less-badly than what they would otherwise do, if it were not for the credible and effective opposition the Conservatives provide. Indeed, one can only speculate what loony-left things that Crawley’s ruling Labour Administration would seek to force on residents if they thought they could get away with it
The same is true of the national government. While it is early days, I believe the Conservative Government is doing a good job in getting on with addressing the issues that face the country. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the Labour opposition whose infighting and lurch to the far-left appears to be taking them back to the days of Michael Foot. In a light-hearted way, I expect many people have been observing the Labour leadership contest with a sense of schadenfreude.
More seriously, it is alarming to see Jeremy Corbyn leading the race to become Labour Party Leader and Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition. While a Labour Party with him at the helm will of course be totally unelectable, the problem is one of having no credible alternative and that is bad for democracy.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Conservative Group
5th August 2015