Pantomime has come early, every day we are treated to Labour MPs, advisors and commentators shrieking 'Fourteen Years'. Like a demented Animal Farm chorus line the phrase is repeated to answer everything from cigarettes to army numbers. Seemingly, the only talent required to become a senior minister in our new government is an adenoidal vowel destroying voice. Black holes and tax and spend. Prosecution for thought crimes. Non prosecution of some based on ethnicity or religion. Draconian sentences on those opposed (or thought to be opposed) to the Party – sorry I meant government. Police disinterested in crime, but enthusiastically investigating 'Non Crime' Hate. How on earth did Magna Carta Country come to this pass?
The 2010 General Election resulted in a hung parliament. Failing to form a coalition with Labour the Lib Dems went into government with the Conservatives. Famously, they inherited a situation of no money in the bank and set about an agreed five year austerity program to repair Labour's damage. The price for Lib Dem support was a referendum on an alternative vote replacement of the first past the post system. On a turn out of 42.2% it was rejected by two to one. The coalition, increasingly fractious stumbled on until 2015 when Cameron, helped by Red Ed Milliband's bacon sarnie antics secured a Conservative majority. Note to the Animal Farm Chorus line – it's NINE years!
In 2016, true to his word, Cameron held a Referendum on EU membership. The question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?". Was ambiguous in the sense that the real question was, "Do you want to be ruled by people you do not elect?" No matter. The first genuine Folk-moot since 1066 decided to leave. A coalition of Labour, LibDem and Tory politicians decided they no longer supported democracy and set about trying to overturn the people's will. They almost succeeded, but Johnson in promising to honour democracy, won a famous victory in 2019 taking seats from Labour in its heartland. That should have been the end of it, but the anti democrats had done their worst and with a party still overwhelmingly pro EU, Johnson delivered half a Brexit.
The success of the cross party anti democrats in trying to thwart Brexit is what, in my view, has led to the 'Totalitarian' light regime we now suffer. Certainly, the elite have always looked on the people with a hint of contempt and a certainty that they know better. What happened after Brexit was the democratic equivalent of Richard II's "Peasants ye are and peasants ye shall remain". It was the thin end of an undemocratic wedge that has led us to an authoritarian government and a Conservative party still dominated by those who are mainly responsible for the rise of a hard left government. The majority of Tory MPs agree with Labour and the Lib Dems that Brexit should be reversed. They share the anti democratic views of the other parties. Kemi Badenoch claims she must have time to review what went wrong. It is obvious to everyone that the Tory party was and is hopelessly split on democracy and the rights of the people. No amount of desperate reviews can paper over those cracks. The minority of Tory MPs who believe in democracy and a Sovereign Britain are ignoring their duty by putting Party before country.
The petition calling for a fresh election produced, for me, an interesting revelation. "I have voted Labour for forty years" explained one man as he signed,"but Starmer's government is a mad experiment in Socialism". I wonder how many Labour voters have no idea that Labour is a Socialist party? Corbyn was a rare Socialist, he told the truth. He told us what he wanted to do and we said no. The present Labour leadership learned from that. They were almost silent on their plans. Now they are busy implementing much of Corbyn's plan having been gifted power by a Tory party with more loyalty to Brussels than to the people of Britain.
It's hard to tell what will be left of our Country's democracy in four and half year's time. What is obvious is that we will then face an existential crisis. We will need a government with courage. Courage to undo Socialism and restore democracy. It will not be easy. It will not be possible with a Tory party dominated by those who have rejected our democratic values. Time is short. Those who believe in a return to common sense values must work to create a viable political platform that will take back our country. The Conservative Party has committed suicide. There is no reason why it should throw democracy into the abyss too.
