Hindus contribute to Labour’s election drubbing
Monday, May 5th, 2008
Having spoken to dozens of Hindus regarding who they voted for in the May 1st elections, I found that most voted for the Conservative Party, several for the Liberal Democrats, and not a single for Labour.
Historically, British Hindus have generally leant towards Labour, as have all ethnic minorities. However, there has always been a large section of Hindus who alternate between voting for the two main parties depending on current issues. And current issues have meant a huge lurch towards voting Tory, in this instance, although not without some reservation being expressed about what exactly the latter are supposed to stand for.
On 1 May 2008, Britain’s Labour Party received their worst losses in local government elections in England and Wales in 40 years, losing 331 seats. They also lost the Greater London Authority election. It was a severe embarrassment and setback for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, being his first electoral test since he came to office. If the current mood of the nation persists, his party will certainly be out at the next general elections.