The SDP and the Brexit Party.

During the Peterborough by-election the Brexit Party almost won. In fact many people (myself included) believe it only lost due to election fraud.

Meanwhile the SDP with arguably the best parliamentary candidate (and far more capable than any of the other candidates) lost its deposit.

I believe that this suggests that while the Brexit Party is in the ascendant then the SDP stands little hope in Parliamentary elections.

While losing is certainly no shame, I do believe that the drain on resources and more importantly the disappointment and associated hit to morale resulting from a poor result means the SDP should very carefully consider whether standing in Parliamentary by-elections at this stage in the SDP's revival is worthwhile.

So maybe the SDP should focus away from Parliamentary by-elections. Maybe at this point in time it should even lend a hand to the Brexit Party.

The Brexit Party is a one-trick pony and despite lots of fine words, at the moment it does not seem able or even inclined to break out of that straight jacket.

I may have to eat my words here about the "one-trick pony". I just discovered (a week after writing this) that the Brexit Party IS contesting local elections. If that is a policy move rather than just a couple of keen supporters doing a bit of DIY local politics then it will be a game changer. If it is the case then either the Brexit Party or the SDP could push forward into Parish/Town Councils.

Although the Brexit party has a great deal of momentum (all of which is associated with Brexit) it lacks the political depth of the SDP.

So when push comes to shove, in a friendly alliance, eventually (in the long term), it would be more likely that the SDP would absorb the Brexit Party membership than the other way round.

Assisting the parliamentary Brexit Party would help the SDP achieve one of its primary political ends (aka Brexit).

Properly handled it will also  gain more visibility for the SDP.

Though to be fair, being an associate rather than  the main item is not going to ignite the identity afterburner.

But maybe there is a way to ignite the SDP's identity. Possibly this can even be done quite quickly.

But it has to be decoupled from the Brexit debate.

Local politics at bottom tier of UK democracy is wide open. That is the Parish/Town Council level.

Forget about the fact we've only just had a set of local elections in May. It is irrelevant.

Gaining a significant representation across the country on this bottom tier of UK democracy could be achieved in a short time frame. In fact a very short time frame.

By short I mean SHORT.

OK. Now, sit down or at least stand well clear of breakable objects.

I believe that with the correct strategy a small party with popular policies could gain a significant amount of local power across the country almost without trying. The required budget would be minimal.

Theoretically it could do this within….

(Wait for it...)

Two months. Literally from today. That is with no new elections/law changes/special events or miracles.

Preposterous?

Nope.

I know. I’ve done the research.

Seriously.

And no! I’ve not been eating “funny” mushrooms. I’ll tell you how in the next post. Not only will I tell you. I’ll convince you! And easily too!

Really.

To be fair, it may well not be desirable to try and achieve such progress in such a blindingly short timescale. Planning and organisation is key and going off half-cocked could be disastrous.

But what I hope to show is that the SDP (or any other small party with popular policies) could change the landscape of British Politics in a relatively short time scale. No miracles involved.

The major difference from this to the more typical visualisations of changing the political landscape is that this visualisation starts at the bottom tier of UK democracy not the top.

I am not mad. (I promise)

Oh, OK.... Maybe just a bit...

The full set of posts on this topic:

The Social Democratic Party - Where Now?
The SDP and the Brexit Party (this post)
Local Politics and the Low Hanging Fruit
Arming the Parish Councillors
Parish Councillors: Party Aligned? or Independent?
Parish Councils are Dying: So What?