Spring 2012 was a big one for left-wing politics as elections in the UK and France swung away slightly from conservative control. Not only did Ed Milliband’s Labour Party take significant chunks out of the local support for the Conservative government in the local elections, but there was also a seismic shift in the political makeup of the French government, which saw the socialist party usher its way into power.
The jumps to the left were the most significant recent indicators that support for severe austerity measures was beginning to wane. It is also a sign that the EU alliance that has previously held sway between Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Mercel may be a little less significant going forward.
François Hollande’s socialist party election victory over the distinct right of Sarkozy’s old order put a lot of doubt on the Franco-German austerity alliance creating a more mixed response to the economic issues that have plagued Europe over the last few years. Slender thought he victory was, it brought with it a little tug to the left, tempering the severity of austerity consensus and providing conceptual wriggle room for debate in the very least.
However, the big issue was whether or not the 2012 elections in France and the local elections in the UK would result in a more tempered approach to economic restructuring or a flip flop stance that takes the process too far in the wrong direction.
With national debts throughout Europe continuing to jeopardise the recovery from recession, it was clear that some element of belt tightening was needed going forward, but it’s getting the balance right that will be the crux of whether recovery begins in a matter of months rather than years.
In the UK there isn’t quite the same level of distinct change as there is in France. The 2012 local election results don’t affect the overarching government policies of the country, however, they do have an impact on local spending. In addition to that they can be seen as a potential prophecy for the next general election (an additional 823 councillors moved over to the Labour Party, with the Conservative Party losing 405 and the Liberal Democrats losing 336), but it turned out not to be the case here following the Labour Party’s victories in 2012 as David Cameron went on to win the general election in 2015.
