Conservative Party in crushing UK Election victory on the demise of the Labour Party
Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Boris Johnson became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) in earnest after the Conservative Party coasted to victory. Prior to this, Johnson was the Prime Minister only in name. However, now he is the duly elected leader of the UK based on receiving a mandate from the electorate.
Hence, with only one seat to still be counted, the Conservative won 364 seats out of a possible 650. Thus, Johnson is taking office in the knowledge of having a clear majority behind him. Therefore, the ending of being a fully-fledged member of the European Union (EU) will come to an end by January 31, 2020, based on abiding by Brexit.
In a shocking night for the Labour Party, the working-class roots of northern England followed in the footsteps of recent election results regarding Scotland. Of course, major cities like Manchester remained loyal to the Labour Party. Yet, in general, several traditional seats in Northern England fell by the wayside. Thereby, giving the impression that the appeal of Jeremy Corbyn was merely in-line with the Metropolitan Elites in London and the readers of The Guardian.
Of course, the above is an oversimplification but by ignoring the wishes of Brexit voters and the traditional core base of the Labour Party, then the rest was shallow outside feisty socialist soundbites. This should be a wake-up call for the main opposition. If not, then Scotland will remain extremely problematic even if some traditional Labour voters return to the fray in the next election in Northern England.
Johnson, knowing that the traditional working-class vote can’t be taken for granted promised a “people’s government.”
The Prime Minister uttered, “You may intend to return to Labour next time round, and if that is the case, I am humbled that you have put your trust in me, and I will never take your support for granted.”
He continued by stating, “I will make it my mission to work night and day, flat out to prove that you were right in voting for me this time, and to earn your support in the future.”
With reference to Brexit, Johnson stated powerfully, “I think this will turn out to be a historic election that gives us now, in this new government, the chance to respect the democratic will of the British people.”
However, for the main opposition party, then recriminations are already happening internally. After all, with austerity hitting many people hard in the UK, then people expected so much more from the Labour Party. Yet, little materialized outside of empty class rhetoric aimed at the extremely rich and the endless mantra of being the party that will protect the National Health Service. Therefore, the party did abysmally given the prevailing conditions of recent austerity measures.
The Guardian stated, “Labour, meanwhile, whose leader, the veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, had presented voters a manifesto offering a second Brexit referendum and a radical expansion of the state, was plunged into bitter recriminations after the party won just 203 seats, its worst result in 84 years.”
Alan Johnson, a minister in the former government of Tony Blair, uttered pointedly, “It’s Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn was a disaster for Labour – everyone knew that he couldn’t lead the working class out of a paper bag.”
Similarly, for the pro-EU party, it was a complete disaster. For example, Reuters reports, “With Labour split and unclear on Brexit, the strongly anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats had hoped to do well but they won only 11 seats, a crushing result. Party leader Jo Swinson lost her seat in Scotland to the SNP and resigned.”
One mute note for Johnson is the issue of Scotland because the Scottish National Party (SNP) is pro-EU. Thus, with the SNP being the main party by a huge distance in Scotland, then this political party will seek a new referendum on the thorny issue of independence.
Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the SNP, uttered, “There is a mandate now to offer the people of Scotland the choice over our own future… Boris Johnson may have a mandate to take England out of the EU. He emphatically does not have a mandate to take Scotland out of the EU.”
Overall, it was a great night for the Conservative Party nationally and for the SNP in Scotland. Therefore, despite long negotiations with the EU still to take place and with bumpy roads ahead, the fact is that Brexit will now be delivered. However, it remains to be seen if the UK can survive in the long-term given events in Scotland and problems that persist in Northern Ireland.
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50776671
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