Well, exactly. The economic climate is set up perfectly for a more forthright Labour party. They should be cynically attacking the Tory party and blaming them for the economic wasteland (much as the Tories attempted to blame the 2008 crash on Labour), and promising better standards of living and opportunities for regular people. If a Labour leader can't extol the virtues of left leaning policies at a time when ordinary people are suffering, when can they? And is there a worse time to try and emulate the Tories than now?
If I tried to remove my own ideological beliefs, and tried to objectively assess which of Labour and Conservatives could manage the economy or benefit regular people, based solely on what they are currently advocating for, I'm not even sure I'd back Labour. I know the Tories would make small cuts to things like National Insurance, probably raise the tax free threshold slightly at some point, which would mean a slight higher take home pay for me. I just don't get what Labour are even offering, beyond SAYING they will manage the budget carefully. How? Why? What are their priorities? What do they stand for? What choices will they make? I'll only be voting Labour out of principle, but if I was a swing voter, I can't see what would motivate me to vote Labour beyond voting against the Tories, but then why vote Labour instead of Lib Dems, Reform, UKIP or some other protest vote? The strategy Labour are going for is "look, we're not Corbyn anymore", which I suppose might win back a few voters, but I don't think it's compelling enough to voters now. Starmer isn't competing against Corbyn, he's competing against the current Tory party, in an economic wasteland.
