British Elections One Week Away.

Some thoughts on the British Election.

Roger Silverman
London Socialist
Labor Party Member

The world has become so extraordinarily volatile that even the result of a British general election in one week’s time is completely unpredictable. So I'll delay my prediction until the morning of 13th December.

Yet some things seems self-evident.

First, despite the malicious propaganda of the Tory media, it won't be another 1983. Labour's vote plummeted then because the newly-formed SDP, in alliance with the Liberals, had hijacked a big portion of Labour's vote. This time the LibDems are unlikely to make spectacular gains, and much of whatever gains they do make will come from pro-Remain Tories. What’s more, unlike any of the other parties, Labour has thousands of energetic canvassers out on the doorsteps every day. Then there’s the four million new registrations since the election was called, two-thirds of them young voters, likely to vote Labour.

Second, despite the hopes of Labour activists, it won’t be another 1997. Then New Labour had lavish donations streaming into its coffers from big business, and an endorsement from Rupert Murdoch. This time, on the contrary, the ruling class is desperate to avoid a Corbyn government. It has launched an unprecedented barrage of lies against him, more poisonous than in any previous election.

If generations of corrupt Labour bureaucrats hadn't already wiped out Labour's previous rock-solid hold on Scotland, then a Labour victory could be well within our grasp now. But for now, the SNP has a firm hold on Scotland.

So what does that leave us with? A strong possibility of yet another hung parliament, as in seven of the last nine years: 2010-15 and 2017-19 - a prolongation of the impasse of British capitalism, with the prospect of yet another election in two or three years' time, making it the fifth in twelve or thirteen years (and the fourth since the passing of the Fixed-Term Parliament Act!).

So, whatever happens, there are years of further instability ahead, plunging Britain straight into the turmoil, the street fighting, uprisings, far-right threats and confrontations that are already gripping countries throughout the rest of the world right now.