Tamsin Omond (L) and Amelia Womack (R) are standing for the co-leadership of the Green Party. Image: Rob DesRoches
New polling has revealed a resurgent appetite for centre and left-leaning politics in the UK.
A Delta Poll survey, carried out between 13th and 15th October, shows Labour tied neck and neck with the Conservatives, while Opinium puts the two parties marginally further apart on 41 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, centre and left-leaning parties outside the big two appear to be gathering pace.
The Liberal Democrats are polling at just under ten per cent, while the Greens are on 6 per cent and the SNP on 4 per cent.
It echoes similar trends in Europe, where green shoots of recovery on the left-wing have been cited.
In Norway, after eight years out of power, Labour is in talks to form a left-leaning coalition, having emerged as comfortably the largest party in elections last month, a result that means all five Nordic governments should soon be led by social democrats.
The SDP in Germany also declared social democracy to “be back” after they staged a surprise win against its conservative CDU/CSU rival.
The party recovered from a catastrophic score of 20.5 per cent five years ago – its lowest since 1949 – to narrowly beat the conservatives of the outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, with a swing of more than five percentage points.
Centre-left parties head coalition governments in Italy and Spain and are leading what looks increasingly like a functioning opposition in Hungary.
And there are indications that in Ireland things could be going the same way.
In a recent opinion poll, Ireland’s left-wing political parties (Sinn Fein, Labour, Social Democrats, PBP, Greens and Independents) have overtaken the right-wing duopoly of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
This has been largely ignored by Ireland’s establishment media- but they won’t be able to keep it schtum for long.
It is early days, but whisper it quietly: the left may be on its way back.
Related: Most Brits worried about their personal finances because of Brexit – poll
