Jayne Dowle: Thinking the unthinkable in Yorkshire ahead of unprecedented election

For as long as anyone can remember, our place on the national map has been coloured red. By the end of the first week in June, it could look very different.

It is far too early to call, of course. However, what is obvious is that certainties in place for generations are ebbing away. I hope that our Labour MPs realise – and realise quickly – that they can take nothing for granted. The overwhelming support which their party has enjoyed in towns like ours is no longer guaranteed.

Was Theresa May right to call it right now? Local opinion is divided. Some say she has damaged her own reputation by going back on her word. Others are pleased, even relieved, that at last the uncomfortable compromise of this current Parliament will be tackled. There’s a sense that cards need to be laid on the table.

One thing is certain. This election will force people to examine their own beliefs in close detail. It will also ask them to question the tribal allegiance which has made placing a vote almost an automatic response.

Until now, it was almost unconceivable that a town like mine would not return Labour MPs to Westminster. However, two things have happened which throw this traditional support right up in the air.

Europe. And Jeremy Corbyn as party leader. Together these two factors have created a perfect storm with countless ordinary voters at the eye.

Most people assume that the Labour Party overall is in favour of remaining in Europe. Unfortunately for the party, many natural Labour voters disagree. In Barnsley, in the EU Referendum last year, more than twice as many (68 per cent) voted to leave than voted to stay (32 per cent).

Immediately then there is a disconnect on a major point of policy between the Labour Party itself and thousands of its supporters. Forget the NHS and the economy. The EU – which for many local voters translated simply as “immigration” – over-rides everything else.

Not only is there a major point of conflict in policy, this difficult situation has been made worse for ordinary voters by having Jeremy Corbyn in charge. There is a lot of loyalty for the ultra-left-wing Labour leader in Barnsley, it must be said. Most of this however comes from Labour Party members, rather than Labour voters.

For too long now, this rather obvious point of difference has been blithely ignored by Corbyn’s supporters. It should now be staring them in the face. Even if they disagreed with the party over Europe, I’d wager that a good number of Labour supporters would stay supportive in a General Election if they believed that the leader had their interests at heart.

Unfortunately for voters – and the Labour Party – this is not happening. I’ve heard many people in Barnsley say that they don’t like Corbyn, don’t trust him, and believe that he is too much a part of the metropolitan elite. Ironic for one who claims to have the interests of working-class people at heart, but this is the crux of his problems. The 21st century “working class” is far from the lumpen proletariat of Marxist ideology, but a complex and ever-shifting demographic which the Labour Party has failed to keep up with.

What then are instinctive Labour supporters in towns like Barnsley to do? Already, I’m hearing people saying that thanks to Corbyn and Europe, they will vote Conservative for the first time in their lives. This is not a decision many will make easily. In a town which had the guts ripped out of it by Margaret Thatcher’s approach to the mining industry, it goes against instinct, and it goes against community. I would go as far as to say that it is actually painful.

There could be an opportunity here for the Lib Dems to make inroads. I’d wager that most moderate voters would find yellow a more palatable colour to pin to their mast than Tory blue.

However, the Lib Dem presence in this town is so quiet you might think it almost non-existent. Two months is a very short time to make the necessary impact.

What then can towns like Barnsley do? The problem itself is incredibly complex, but the solution is simple. I hope that anyone uncertain over which way to vote will put the candidate first and the party they represent second. This General Election will indeed re-shape the political map of Britain like no other before, but it should also teach us a new way of doing politics.

In a world where political certainties are torn to shreds, good constituency members should come to the fore. So I say, don’t turn away, don’t abstain and don’t get too tied up in policy details. Instead, simply vote for the candidate who speaks to your heart.