General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: OMG...The UK Elections Are Not A Predictor Of What Will Happen Here [View all]octoberlib
(14,971 posts)complained about the length of the manifesto. Even Momentum leader Jon Lansman said this was a problem.
Manifesto
There was an incredible amount on offer in Labours 2019 manifesto Its Time for Real Change. From free care for the elderly, free university tuition fees, reducing the voting age to 16 and payouts for Waspi women, the party attempted to speak to every sector of society. Some candidates reported that they had so much to rattle through on the doorstep that when new policy ideas dropped halfway through the campaign such as slashed rail fares they shied away from discussing them so as not to overload people with commitments. A Labour source said: It wasnt that people didnt like the policies, people thought there was too many of them. The free broadband was really unpopular. We hadnt spent two years making the case for it and we just dumped it on them
so people thought this is a weird luxury, why on earth are we being offered this? Jon Lansman, leader of the Corbyn campaign group, Momentum, said: The manifesto was too detailed and too long. It was a programme for 10 years, not for government.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/13/five-reasons-why-labour-lost-the-election
In other words, focus on a couple issues and ram them home.