Labour faces important strategic challenges as new social cleavages emerge

How do voters decide on which party to support? Eric Shaw explains that, rather than being ‘rational’, most people follow cognitive short-cuts, reaching conclusion on the basis of their perceptions of economic competence and the quality of party leadership. Labour faces issues on both of these counts: Ed Miliband is widely regarded as a weak leader and the public has largely accepted the coalition’s frame; namely, that Labour was responsible for crashing the economy. Moreover, new patterns of social attachment have emerged, reshaping both political and policy preferences. Norms, lifestyles and ethnicity have replaced class as key markers, presenting important strategic challenges for Labour.