An Election At Last

At last! This rotten Parliament is at an end. On Tuesday night, MPs finally voted to end the suffering of everyone in the UK and grant us a general election. A decision that was granted by 438 votes in favour to 20 against.

The news that we are to have a general election, the third such election in five years, is no doubt sending Brenda, that lady who got famous for complaining about another poll, scampering to lock her doors to prevent vulture eyed journos from seeking her out. But, it is a good thing that Parliament has finally seen sense.

As many have pointed out, this Parliament was deadlocked over Brexit, and as a consequence it couldn’t decide on anything else. It knew what it didn’t want in terms of Brexit- no deal- but it had no idea what it didn’t want. This consequently meant nothing else of substance could get done. Of course, this Parliament did not help itself. Many of the MPs stood on manifestos promising to respect the referendum result, something which they consequently ignored, be they remainers or leavers. Which has naturally drawn the ire of many people and exposed the hypocritical nature of the British establishment.

This Parliament’s hypocrisy was also spelled out quite clearly, by those who protested the prorogation, but then were not in attendance during a debate on the second reading of Jess Philip’s Domestic Abuse Bill. Something that one would have thought would have drawn quite a lot of people, given the recent societal trends. Still, this Parliament had a habit of ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

So, what will this election be about? Naturally, all sides are talking about using it to unblock the Brexit paralysis, but it is obvious that all parties will try and use it to discuss more issues. During PMQs yesterday, Corbyn and Johnson drew the battle lines. Corbyn went after Johnson, and claimed that under a Tory government, the NHS would be sold off to private firms, that the US would abuse any trade agreement to shaft our farmers and the populace. Meanwhile, Johnson offered a rather weak defence of the Tory part’s record in government and their historical reputation for economic competence.

It is clear that all parties know Brexit will dominate, and though as polls show that Boris has got a lead on Corbyn, one does have to wonder if that will translate into election victory. After all, who could forget what happened to Theresa May in 2017? The Tories have been in power now for almost a decade, and many are growing tired of them.

Add in this Brexit uncertainty, and there is a real chance that we might either be looking at another hung Parliament, or perhaps a shock or two could be presented. It all depends on how everyone votes on 12th December, which is of course the first winter poll since 1923. Everything to play for, and nothing to lose. Well, that’s what the politicians will be telling themselves, hopefully.