Home World Politics The Recent British Elections -- An Assessment in Socialist Resistance, organ of...

The Recent British Elections — An Assessment in Socialist Resistance, organ of British Fourth Internationalists

Details
Published on Thursday
22 June 2017  10:24
Written by Radical Socialist

A stunning result for Corbyn and Labour

Protesting Theresa May’s visit to Ealing, west London May 20. Photo: Steve Eason
Alan Davies argues: The election result is a triumph for Labour. Although the party has fallen marginally short of enough seats to form a government, Jeremy Corbyn has pulled off the biggest swing from one major party to another during the span of an election campaign since 1945. The polls were predicting a Labour share of the vote of 26% or 27% but ended up on the night at 40%—which is 12.8 million votes. This is more than Tony Blair got in 2001 or in 2005. With 649 seats declared, the Conservatives have 318 seats, down 13, Labour 261, up 29, 35 seats for the SNP, down 21, the Lib Dems up 4 to 12, Plaid Cymru remain on three, the Greens on one and UKIP wiped out. Kensington and Chelsea is yet to declare. One recount has already taken place and the count has been suspended until 6pm tonight. The turnout is up by 2% to the highest since 1997. The turnout amongst young people was unprecedented in modern times. The UKIP vote collapsed. Nuttall, who has resigned, came a distant third in Boston and Skegness. Labour made significant gains in both Scotland and Wales. The SNP remain the largest party in Scotland but the Conservatives have won 12 seats off them so far, Labour have won seven and the Lib Dems three. In Wales Labour took back Gower, Cardiff North, and Vale of Clwyd from the Conservatives. Jeremy Corbyn and John MacDonnell are right to say that they are ready to form a minority government but it is clear that May will attempt to do so. The result, therefore, is not just a hung parliament, but the slimmest and most precarious of hung parliaments with effectively a coalition between a crisis ridden Tory Party and the ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party – one of the most socially conservative political parties in Europe. Its members deny climate change, oppose abortion and marriage equality and are mostly Biblical creationists. Its candidates were endorsed by the Ulster Defence Association, a sectarian murder gang which is now involved in racketeering and drug dealing.  This lash up gives the Tories a majority of  two. Even if this gets off the ground it is likely to extremely unstable and we should prepare for another election before the end of the year. Labour’s election campaign was spectacular and had a huge impact. The outcome is a personal triumph for Jeremy Corbyn, who was vilified in the most brutal way from the start of the campaign until the end. The Tories weren’t even able to use the two horrendous terror attacks to their advantage. The manifesto changed the politics of the election campaign the moment it hit the streets. It mobilised hundreds of thousands of young people to register to vote, join the campaign and vote in, what for many,  the first election in which they had participated. Young people how have been abused and used by successive government have struck back with a vengeance. We are seeing tectonic shifts taking place at several levels in British politics. Labour’s anti-austerity election platform has appealed to many of the same marginalised people who were drawn towards a Brexit vote. The vote is a massive rejection of austerity—bringing about a fundamental change in British politics. There is a new generation on the scene for the first time, completely open to the kind of radical alternative Labour is putting forward. For example, it was the student vote which took Canterbury for Labour which has been Tory for ever. Corbyn is now in a powerful position inside the party. The Labour right who have campaigned for two years to discredit and get rid of him have been politically defeated and have some decisions to make. Every one of the predictions they made about Corbynism have been proven wrong. It is time now to back Corbyn or stand aside. In this situation the job of the radical left is clear. Join the Corbyn movement if you have not done so yet, help him to change and democratise the Labour Party. Deepen the political trajectory that he has initiated, and stand ready to fight the next election as and when it comes.
RELATED ARTICLES

WSF Declaration of the Social Movements Assembly

Details Published on Sunday 13 February 2011 17:06 Written by Radical Socialist WSF Declaration of the Social Movements Assembly 12 February 2011 As the Social Movements Assembly of the World...

Whither Tunisia?

Details Published on Thursday 20 January 2011 01:43 Written by Radical Socialist Whither Tunisia? Curfew in Tunisia! What is the political significance? January 13 by Fathi Chamkhi Just hours after his...

Tunisia, Egypt: a revolutionary process of world scope

Details Published on Monday 28 February 2011 18:16 Written by Radical Socialist Tunisia, Egypt: a revolutionary process of world scope Fourth International The International Committee of the Fourth International at...

Most Popular

France: The NPA in Crisis

Details Published on Sunday 29 January 2012 05:43 Written by Radical Socialist France: The NPA in Crisis — Jason Stanley FRANCE’S NEW ANTI-CAPITALIST Party (NPA) is in crisis. While only...

Russian anti-fascists appeal for solidarity

Details Published on Friday 10 September 2010 04:02 Written by Radical Socialist An unexpected, unthinkable, yet - concerning current circumstances - quite expectable and natural thing has occurred...

From Syntagma to Puerta del Sol and back to Syntagma

Details Published on Sunday 19 June 2011 17:18 Written by Radical Socialist From Syntagma to Puerta del Sol and back to Syntagma By Savas Michael-Matsas   As the preparations for the...

An election devoid of social content

Details Published on Sunday 12 May 2013 10:47 Written by Radical Socialist An election devoid of social content Friday, 10 May 2013 by Lal Khan The right-wing Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) peppers...

Occupy Lahore: Anti Capitalist Camp

Details Published on Saturday 22 October 2011 10:10 Written by Radical Socialist Occupy Lahore: Anti Capitalist Camp Leftwing political parties, trade unions, social activists and student groups at a...

Chinese ambitions – An imperialism in formation

Details Published on Thursday 24 July 2014 12:50 Written by Radical Socialist Chinese ambitions - An imperialism in formation   Pierre Rousset   6 June 2014   China is not an emerging country...

Massive Sexual Violence on Women and the Collapse of Left Pretensions

Details Published on Sunday 16 June 2013 15:48 Written by Radical Socialist

Greece: will anti-Semitism become law? A Jewish Marxist accused by the Neo-Nazis

Details Published on Saturday 17 August 2013 13:28 Written by Radical Socialist Greece:  will anti-Semitism become law? A Jewish Marxist accused by the Neo-Nazis A Jewish Marxist is being...

Portugal: A programme against the debt tyranny

Details Published on Thursday 19 July 2012 17:17 Written by Radical Socialist Portugal: A programme against the debt tyranny A resolution by the National Council of the Left Bloc...

Communalism – Its Causes And Consequences

Details Published on Thursday 13 October 2009 06:13 Written by Radical Socialist