Theresa May, the current British Prime Minister, has called a General Election to be held on Thursday 8th June…
(which is a bit of a U-turn - even for her)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39629603
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/18/theresa-may-uk-general-election-8-june
How do you call an early election? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39630209
Is my understanding correct that this isn’t really expected to change anything substantive? i.e. the people, parliamentary percentages, policies, etc, aren’t really expected to change much at all, but this is really more about getting May out from under that “temporary caretaker government” shadow after Cameron left?
Basically what Ryan McAvoy said - unless there some shocks or leaked surprises coming out soon (cough, election expenses fraud and fallout of, cough) it seems the Tories will likely win this. It’d be interesting if Corbyn came out and stated if Labour got in he would reverse Brexit - or stage a 2nd referendum, or give the Scots a 2nd referendum too - but that is very unlikely to happen.
Labour have struggled to get their message across in the media - a majority right-wing media and a frightened BBC - but just haven’t been able to engage with the floating voters or people who would consider voting for them. That said, they struggled to do that with more centrist Labour politicians in charge too. I don’t see that changing - the media like others have said will target divisions within Labour - and not give time/space to the actual message or pointing out failings/shortcomings of the Govt etc.
So, it looks like we’re in for more ‘austerity’ (when it’s actually under the guise of Tory idealogy) on top of the 7 years we’ve already endured - more cuts to local govt services, more cuts NHS and emergency services, more cuts to social care, more cuts to benefits, more cuts to the disabled, more cuts to schools, less job security, more cuts to freedoms, more cuts to free/subsidised legal access, a country of less equality…
and more money to ‘free’ schools, grammars, more privatisation, more pollution, more children in poverty, more pensioners choosing either heat or food, more food banks and use of, more homelessness, more zero hour contracts, more arms sold to Arab states with horrific human rights, and more money to London at expense of elsewhere - and top of that a higher cost of living due to the coming (and already happening) effects of Brexit.
No wonder the Prime Minster won’t go on a tv debate with the other leaders - it’s a no win situation for her (and debating is not her strong point - not from her displays in the HoC anyway).
She just has to shut up and let the media do the work for her (along with an Opposition still infighting).
Fuck.