Anti-Social, Anti-Democracy

25. května 2017

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, alongside the leader of Hull Council, Steve Brady, answers questions from journalists and party supporters, on the campaign trail, in Hull East Yorks. May 2017.

Profimedia

I am a social democrat and a long-time supporter of the Labour party, but I hope they lose – and lose badly – in the forthcoming British election. Not because Theresa May’s Conservatives have a good programme, but because Labour needs radical change – for the sake of democracy in Britain (as well as social democracy in Europe).

When British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap general election – scheduled for June 8th – many on the centre-left despaired. May called the election to capitalise on the huge lead that her Conservative party had over the main opposition Labour party in opinion polls. At the end of April, the Conservatives were polling between 40-50 %, with Labour on 24–30% (give or take the odd bounce) leaving a consistent 20% gap that would be exacerbated by the UK’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system.

At the end of April, the Conservatives were polling between 40-50 %, with Labour on 24–30% (give or take the odd bounce) leaving a consistent 20% gap. Even as the gap narrowed in mid-May, if there is a still a gap by election day its effects will be exacerbated by the UK’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system – and polls before previous elections have tended to underestimate Tory support and overestimate that for Labour.

Despite Theresa May’s manifest inadequacies, many Labour supporters still fear a Tory landslide and they are right to: in 1983, the year of Labour’s greatest defeat in a general election since the Second World War, they got 209 seats on 32% of the vote, with the Conservatives winning 397 seats on 42%. However, while Labour supporters are right to expect a heavy defeat, social democrats in the UK – and across Europe – should embrace this heavy defeat rather than try to fight it.

They should do this despite the certainty that a Conservative victory will make life materially worse for a majority of people in the UK. They should do this despite the certainty that a Conservative victory will mean less money and more privatisation for the NHS and other key public services. They should do this even though a Conservative Victory will encourage a nastier, more xenophobic public culture. They should do this even though a Conservative victory will guarantee that ‘Brexit means Brexit’ – and probably hard Brexit.

They should do this because the Conservatives will win handsomely anyway.

Podpořte Reportér sdílením článku