Skip to main content

* The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever

The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever
THE CIRCLE (London) Boris Johnson has been backed into a corner over Brexit. Partly through his own missteps, partly from the growing opposition to his "do-or-die" Brexit plan, Johnson is a man for whom the losses are piling up, while the UK is a country running out of time.
All of the remaining Brexit options facing Johnson -- and to a larger extent the UK -- lead to one place: An early election. The only real question is whether it happens before or after Brexit.
Whenever it happens, the next election will be vicious, nasty and personal.
    "For many Conservatives, (opposition leader) Jeremy Corbyn embodies the very politics that they most loathe, while in Corbyn's Labour Party, Boris embodies the out-of-touch privileged elite," explains Matthew Goodwin, Professor of Politics at the University of Kent. "When there's so much to play for, it's impossible to see how it can't get very personal."
    Image result for The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever
    Here's where things currently stand. A couple of weeks ago, Johnson asked the Queen to suspend Parliament, ostensibly to restart the parliamentary session and return with a fresh legislative agenda. It was merely a coincidence, of course, that many lawmakers were also agitating to close down the option of a no-deal Brexit on October 31.
    But before the suspension took effect, a majority of lawmakers conspired to seize control of parliamentary business and passed legislation that, in theory, forces his government to request a Brexit extension from the European Union if it fails to negotiate a deal.
    So even if Johnson's real intent had been to shut down that effort, it didn't work. And to make things worse, the UK's highest court spent this week hearing evidence alleging that Johnson misled the Queen over his motives for suspending the UK's legislative body.
    The outcome of this case comes early next week, but in some respects, it doesn't matter a huge amount. Whether Parliament is forced to return early or not, the political reality of Brexit will collide with Johnson soon enough. And given the lack of a majority for anything, an election would be the only way to fix it.
    Image result for The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever
    Why will it be so vicious? The political atmosphere in the UK is more hostile than it's been in decades. Corbyn and Johnson are not only miles apart in terms of their politics, their parties also hold one another in open contempt.
    Here's how one Conservative source spells out the likely attack lines the party will run on Corbyn. There's his past association with alleged anti-Semites; his support for a second Brexit referendum but his decision to remain neutral in any campaign; his record on national security and whether he could be trusted to protect the nation; and as the source puts it, unkindly but revealingly, his "generic weirdness."
    "He's just an easy target, isn't he? Anything you say about him being hard left or confused on Brexit or dodgy associations has the added benefit of being true," the source says. "Like Trump, there's always a tweet."
    Corbyn's supporters, meanwhile, point to Johnson's privileged background, which they believe makes him blind to the effect of his policies on people who don't come from the same walk of life as him. Early in his bid to lead the country, for example, Johnson boasted that no politician had defended bankers as much as he did. "I defended them day in, day out."
    Corbyn's aides point to Johnson's readiness to conclude a quick trade deal with US President Donald Trump. Such a deal, they argue, would require the UK to dilute its standards for food imports, and to open up parts of the National Health Service (NHS) to American commercial interests. While Johnson flatly denies that the NHS would be on the table in trade talks with the US, it's a powerful line of attack. As the UK's former Conservative finance minister, Nigel Lawson, once put it: "The NHS is the closest thing the English people have to a religion."
    Image result for The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever
    More urgently, Labour strategists point to Johnson's willingness to leave the EU without a negotiated deal. Corbyn was instrumental in the parliamentary plan to avoid a chaotic exit that the government's own research suggests could lead to food and medicine shortages.
    If Labour wanted to run an attack along the lines of Johnson being willing to play politics with the health and well-being of British families, it would be very powerful. And it's a message that Labour aides are privately saying will be a feature of the election campaign.
    What's unique about the current political climate is that the two main political behemoths are being squeezed by smaller parties on the fringes of the Brexit debate. First, the Liberal Democrats, who last week vowed to cancel Brexit altogether if they won a majority at a general election. "There is no Brexit that will be good for our country," said leader Jo Swinson at the party's annual conference. She pointed to the economic harm that Brexit will exact on poorer communities and the damage it would do to people in need of urgent healthcare.
    Given that the Brexit vote was won on a narrow 52%-48% mandate, a party willing to stop Brexit in its tracks is set up to be successful. Successful enough, as it happens, that the Lib Dems finished in second place at the UK's most recent national vote -- the elections to the European Parliament.
    And in first place? The Brexit party. Nigel Farage's new political movement is campaigning on a ticket to not just leave the EU, but to leave without a deal. The potency of its message presents a terrifying prospect for both Labour and the Conservatives. Many Labour MPs represent areas of the country that voted strongly in favour of leave. The Brexit party says that Brexit has exposed Labour as a party that has disdain for its voters. "It thinks they are thick, old and it doesn't really want them any more," says a Brexit party spokesman.

    Image result for The UK is gearing up for its dirtiest election ever
    On Johnson and the Conservatives, the party's job is even easier. "Boris said he would rather be 'dead in a ditch' than ask for an extension," the spokesman explains. "He's dug that ditch himself, and if we've not left the EU on October 31, we'll gladly push him in it."
    So, the election will be horrible, deeply personal and divisive. But where will it all end up?
    "There's no agreement (among pollsters) on how each party is doing, so we don't really know what the starting point of this election campaign is," says Will Jennings, professor of politics at Southampton University. While it's unlikely that the Lib Dems or the Brexit party would ultimately win a general election, Jennings believes that there would be a repeat of the dynamics that played out in the European elections.
      Because of the UK's peculiar electoral system, that points to no single party winning a majority. That will lead each faction to claim that it has the democratic mandate to push ahead with the most extreme version of whatever its election manifesto promised.
      So, after an inevitable election, a brutal campaign, a country more divided than ever and a government with little-to-no clear mandate, where, after all this, will Brexit end up? A bigger mess than it is today, is the most likely answer.

      Comments

      Popular Posts

      Tamilrockers 2020: New Tamil Movies Download Website, tamilrocker hd

      Tamilrockers 2020: New Tamil Movies Download Website, tamilrocker hd Founded in 2011, Tamilrockers is a website that allows users to download pirated movies. These movies are typically new Bollywood, Hollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi movies that get leaked on their website every week as soon as the movie releases. With the growing popularity of TV shows and web series on television channels and online streaming platforms, even these are now available for illegal download on Tamilrockers in 2020. Tamilrockers in India  Since piracy is illegal in India, the Indian government has banned Tamilrockers but the website remains online as it routinely changes its domain name extension and can also be accessed via proxy sites which lead users to the website. In March 2018, three people linked to Tamilrockers were arrested. Further, in May 2019, more Tamilrockers members were arrested in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Tamilrockers’ impact on revenues  Tamilrockers movie downloads h...

      Filmyzilla 2020 - Latest Illegal HD Movies Download Website

       Filmyzilla 2020 - Latest Illegal HD Movies Download Website Filmyzilla is a public torrent website which leakes pirated Bollywood and Hollywood movies online. The website Filmyzilla org uploads the pirated versions of Hindi, English, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam films along  with Hindi dubbed Hollywood movies. Disclaimer: This content is for reference purpose only and The Times of India claims no ownership of this content.  The Times of India does not support or promote piracy in any manner. Filmyzilla has been pirating mainstream Bollywood and Hollywood movies and providing it to the users online for free HD latest movie download. This has led to a decrease in the number of movie lovers hitting the theatres to enjoy their favourite movies. The losses incurred by the moviemakers have crossed the mark of millions because of this unlawful act by such piracy websites. The ever increasing demand of the netizens for free content has made such torrent websites a hit. Many director...

      Bollyshare 2020 - Latest Illegal HD Movies Download Website

       Bollyshare 2020 - Latest Illegal HD Movies Download Website Bollyshare is an illegitimate website that is involved in providing piracy content to users. It is one of newest names in the piracy world. This website streams pirated movie online. The Piracy website, BollyShare is known for streaming pirated versions of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English, Punjabi, Malyalam, and other language films on their website. It works as a torrent website which illegally provides the latest movie downloads. Although, the government has set up strict rules to avoid piracy of films, but still website like Bollyeshare contains HD prints of various films from film industry. According to a report. The media and entertainment sector in India lose almost $ 2.8 billion each year due to leaked and pirated movies. Indian government is trying to fight against piracy from past few years but failed. The interface of Bollyshare is very simple to use and that’s the reason this website has gain popularity from past ...