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Labour Leadership Take Blame for UK Election Loss – But is it Really Their Fault?
UK General Election 2019 results chart. Image courtesy of BBC.com
Following Labour’s loss in the UK General Election 2019, UK Labour leaders have admitted responsibility for their failure at the polls. Very admirable. Both Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell have accepted ‘full responsibility’ for the loss of 59-Labour seats in this election.
Which is very responsible of them and shows a level of maturity not always seen in politicians, who, as we have seen in recent days, can sometimes be angry with voters when their party loses an election or when they lose their own seat.
But does all that responsibility and maturity tell the whole story?
Looking at the Larger Context
In a democracy, politicians must represent the wishes of The People, or at the very least, try to represent the wishes of the constituents in the district they serve. This can sometimes be a bit of a gamble.
Nevertheless, in a democracy, ALL THE PEOPLE must be represented.
We don’t get to choose, politicians don’t get to choose — it’s The People who get to choose what policies they want brought forward and which ones to downgrade. And try as they might, not all of the politicians all of the time get the prevailing mood of the people right. Therefore, we have ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in elections. But, you knew that.
What Labour Did
I believe that Jeremy Corbyn & Co. decided early-on that there was a sizeable number of Britons who could be classed as ‘Remainers’ and the Labour leadership decided to represent those people at the election. If there were as many ‘Remain’ voters as the Labour leadership thought there were, Jeremy Corbyn might’ve been in 10 Downing St. by now.
And there were enough Remainers to put 203 Labour MP’s into the House of Commons, but not enough to surpass the party that supported ‘Leave’. That’s how elections go; Sometimes you guess right and sometimes you guess wrong. And Labour guessed wrong this time.
Regardless, I admire Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell for choosing to support those who would’ve been under-represented at this election — as in a democracy, ALL THE PEOPLE have the right to be represented, even if we don’t agree with their views. Because, in a democratic system, it isn’t all about you. It’s about everyone.
But now that the election has been held and the results tabulated, it’s clear that the Leave-supporting party has won the election by a landslide… and those voters who voted for ‘Remain’ parties must accept the will of The People in the same responsible and mature manner as demonstrated by Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.
It’s over. ‘Leave’ won. The People have spoken. It’s time to respect the democratic will of The People and get on with delivering Brexit.
Parliament Approves UK General Election for December 12th
The UK Parliament voted today to hold a UK General Election on December 12, 2019 which should help end the present Brexit impasse in the House of Commons.
Some 3.5-years after the June 23, 2016 referendum a majority of Britons voted to leave the EU (that’s 1,223-days ago!) and the UK is no closer to leaving the EU. So with the House of Commons deadlocked, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pressed for a General Election to allow their bosses (the UK People) to decide the future of the country. Smart!
A Quick Look at the Brexit File:
- On June 23, 2016 a majority of Britons voted to leave the EU,
- Followed by the February 1, 2017 House of Commons vote where MP’s approved the Article 50 Withdrawal Act to Leave the European Union (498-114),
- And then PM Theresa May’s June 8, 2017 General Election win (an election where every party ran on a platform of delivering Brexit),
- Followed by last week’s House of Commons vote approving Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal (but in a separate vote, MP’s didn’t approve the timing of the deal)
- Now Britons have another opportunity to weigh-in via the ultimate ‘People’s Vote’ — a UK General Election — where citizens of legal voting age can support Brexit or not, support the domestic platform of any party or not, etc.
With polls favouring the Conservatives and their lead increasing, it might be a tight race.
YouGov Westminster voting intention tracker October 2019. Image courtesy of YouGov/Express.co.uk
Certainly the ruling Conservatives are a known quantity, in power since May 11, 2010; First with PM David Cameron until June 24, 2016, followed by PM Theresa May until July 23, 2019, and now, PM Boris Johnson since July 24, 2019 — while Labour hasn’t formed a government since PM Gordon Brown stepped down almost a decade ago.
The only way Labour can manage to stay-on as the official opposition is to run on anything but their Brexit platform, and instead, run on what they could do for the NHS, for low-cost housing, for worker’s rights and other social issues, IMHO.
While this election shouldn’t be all about Brexit, it will be for a majority of voters who want 3.5-years of economic uncertainty to end and they know the Conservatives will deliver.
The issue of our times, at present, is Brexit. And that’s what The People will be voting for, or against.
Predictions?
Based on nothing except that I always get these things right… hehehe, here are my UK General Election 2019 predictions.
The Conservatives will form a small majority government, Labour will gain many seats — while the Lib Dems, the SNP, and independent MP’s will take a beating at the polls. The Brexit Party will become the 3rd party in the House of Commons behind Labour, while the Greens and Plaid Cymru will barely hold onto their existing seats. UKIP won’t win a seat.
Whatever happens, I hope that every MP who is dedicated to serving their constituents does well in this election no matter what side of the Brexit divide they’re on.
Good MP’s like that are worth their weight in diamonds. Good luck, MP’s!
Read: UK set for 12 December general election after MP’s vote (BBC)
Read: UK General Election: A Really Simple Guide (BBC)
Letter to Britain 