Middle England votes are not all that matter Ed.

Only a few days after his Parties drubbing in the Bradford West By-election it is clear that Labour Leader Ed Miliband has learned nothing

As he launched his party’s campaign for next month’s local elections. Miliband said Tory leader David Cameron had “betrayed Middle Britain” by cutting taxes for the rich and accused the Prime Minister of caring more about millionaire Tory donors than the plight of hard-pressed families.

It's the Middle Britain (or rather Middle England) part where he's gone wrong .

Yes the major battlefield for all three main UK  parties has been for the "Middle England" 9as it really should be called) vote, because they hold the swing factor in most marginal constituencies.

It was largely under Tony Blair that Labour started to court this vote, but they had long abandoned the traditional working class vote .Because although they had long relied on it for nearly a hundred years. This vote was largely in constituencies where Labour experienced huge majorities but these would  made little difference when it came to the result of General Election as in reality only the votes of those in about 150 marginal constituencies have actually mattered and in these "the swing vote" depended on this "Middle England" switching.

So not only Labour ,  but the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats all concentrated on a small potion of the population who because they lived in marginal constituencies could decide the next Government.

For Labour the voters in the traditional working class areas were irrelevant when it came to actually courting  . They either already  voted loyally for the Party or lately increasingly failed to vote or even to register.
So many voters are missing from the electoral register – 3.5 million – that they could overturn the general election results in nearly a quarter of constituencies, according to an analysis by the House of Commons library.

Most of the 3.5 million unregistered voters however  are in communities which traditionally vote Labour. Photograph.

So we have all three UK Parties all going for the same "Middle England" vote .

But Bradford West has shown  that  Labour can't take those who are not part of "Middle England" for granted.

With only 40% of Bradford West coming from the Asian community it is safe to assume a substantial number of those voting from him also came from the white community.

Nor was his campaign solely focused on Iraq and Afghanistan.

His leaflet clearly portrayed him as an alternative Labour Candidate.

I am not a fan of Galloway but someone must speak up for those who are not from "Middle England". In Scotland it looks like the once mighty Labour stronghold of Glasgow council may fall to the SNP in May and here in Wales Plaid have a Leader in Leanne Wood whose roots are in, and who still lives in the Working Class Heartland of the Rhondda.

Its a pity that those in England have little other choice but if they move to Parties like respect then Labour cannot complain unless they started to support those whose Loyalty they have relied on for over a centenary but whose vote they see as not making a difference when gaining power at Westminster.