by Atul Hatwal
It looks like 2011 is ending for Labour as it began, with a solid victory in a by-election. At the start of the year it was Oldham East and Saddleworth, and last night it was Feltham and Heston.
But although both Oldham and Feltham were strong performances for Labour, the similarities are superficial. The intervening months have fundamentally changed the context.
At the start of the year, the economic argument remained unresolved. Would the public back the Tories’ cuts when they saw them implemented? Or could Labour provide a more persuasive alternative.
Victory in Oldham in January bought the leadership some time to focus the party’s economic policy and make the case to the public.
Since then, Labour has set out its alternative, developing a distinct critique of the coalition and a very different economic prescription.
Eleven months on from Oldham, the choice has been made.
The graph above based on YouGov poll results shows just how badly Labour has lost the argument on the central economic issue – the deficit.
