At the beginning of this year an author (Deborah Mattinson) held focus groups and interviewed working class people behind the Red Wall to find out how they voted and why. They chose to vote Tory because of Johnson who they believed stood for what they wanted. He'd "de-snobbified the tories"; "he was focused and determined". She was told that "he liked people"; "he believes in Britain and makes you want to believe in him".
I think that the author is confirming what most of us knew. She contacted some of the original interviewees recently and apparently they were on the defensive. Some thought that the tories had done as well as they could in the circumstances. Johnson was "wishy-washy"; "waffle when we need clarity"
When asked about Labour, most of them knew that there is a new leader and quite liked what they saw but they felt that they didn't know enough about the direction the Labour Party is taking. So for the moment they are still favouring Johnson. To quote one other interviewee " I don’t know what he [Starmer] is about yet. Meanwhile I see Boris clearly. For all his flaws, I get him. I genuinely believe that he is an old-fashioned patriot. He believes in Britain, he’s not ashamed of the empire. He’s positive and optimistic. And for the time being that’s good enough for me.”
Good Morning Good Friday 29th March 2024