Democracy Diaries: Is The Vote Decided
by Aar Jae Williams, 8th June, 2024
Not so long ago I wrote an article titled ‘I’d like to be called any day now or any minute now.’ on the 4th of May 2024 and on the 22nd of the month Rishi Sunak announced an early crash to the ice-burg that was expected and boy he has crashed and burned hard and is now at risk of having the split of the more popular and more polarising figure of Nigel Farage’s return to frontline politics as the new returning leader of Reform UK ltd. a political party that operates and is registered as a company. Didn’t know why that is aloud and have no clue of how that is illegal.
Farage is hoping to pounce on the conservative party in a david and goliath historical moment that will echo the movement from his fellow compadre in the states Donald Trump which doesn’t have the same effect as Trumpism in the United States. Farage’s revolt isn’t ever as charged to lead to an insurrection. He’s populist but not popular enough in first past the post in our multi-party system it’s with our state of politics that allows for Farage to perform a coup of a main political party in a parliamentary democracy with last of the seven elections and by-elections he stood in he has lost. His voice has been bigger outside of parliament and is a soap box preacher with hopes he is enough to ginger up a statement I can agree with on this at least a ‘dull’ election. He has been leader of a political party which has been involved in the national conversation before for over a decade first with UKIP then launching the Brexit Party now rebranded as the Reform Party that puts anti-immigration, anti-wokeism, a ultra conservative notion of patriotism, continually hostile to Europe and Climate crisis denialists. His divisiveness and return only stands to split the conservative vote making it more easier for Labour to win.
This is an election that feels already won before a vote has been cast. A forgone conclusion which is rare in a generational shift of the political dial of the ‘time to change’ election. With labour ramming down the message change! change! change! But what is changing? I rightly ask as Kier Starmer is carrying his ming varse as he avoids rocking the boat as he steers clear from any fractious scandal and crisis. With this forgone conclusion in a time for change election people deserve something to vote for.
Tactical has been a huge thing in the run up to announcement of the election by those who typically fill the so called centre ground to ‘Get The Tories Out’ aggrieved over party-gate, Liz Truss’s fatal mini-budget with view of a sliding door of leadership and scandals, scandals and even more scandals! We are told what we are to vote against but not clearly what we are voting for.
The greatest threat to any party is with the election happening is that people don’t turn up to the ballot. I think that’s the reason people need something to vote for and that no party can take their votes for granted and need to bring people to the fold of politics. It’s from a hollow start to the campaign where be it goofy stunts from Ed Davey, gaffes from Sunak over D-Day absense and blatant lies over taxation as repeated by Mourdant. Hopefully the manifestos give meat to the bones next week.
