In a hotly contested, early-called election, the United Kingdom has given the Conservative Party of Boris Johnson a resounding victory providing him with a comfortable majority in their Parliament (House of Commons).
Prime Minister Johnson had taken a huge gamble calling for elections two years early as the country was bogged down in a vicious fight to follow the will of the people as demonstrated in the 2016 Brexit vote to part company with European Union. [The Brits were members of the European Union though they kept the British Pound Sterling as their currency, refusing to embrace the Euro.]
This election dissolves any idea of a Brexit do-over vote. It is now settled science that the UK is leaving the European Union.
The major opposition party, Labour, headed by Jeremy Corbyn, was handed a bruising defeat ending with 203 seats to the Conservative’s 364 (there are a total of 650 seats with 649 seats decided, one remaining to be finalized). It takes 326 seats in Parliament to govern.
Corbyn took things poorly, resigning in the wake of the keel hauling. A perfectly eloquent man, Corbyn said, “Ouch!”
The Scottish National Party took 48 seats (which will spark discussion of Scotland slipping away from the United Kingdom) and the Liberal Democrats took 11.
So what, Big Red Car? We don’t care about no stinking UK elections.
Ahh, dear reader, but we do. Here’s why:
The Labour Party and several American Democratic Socialists, such as AOC/Bernie/Lizzie, are thick as thieves. In the run up to the election, AOC and Jeremy Corbyn became quite chummy. Socialist fellow travelers.
Why, you ask? Because the Labour Party and the American Democratic Socialists spent some time making nice on each other. Essentially, AOC endorsed Corbyn and the love affair went both ways.
The ideas of the socialists (Labour Party) were trounced. Buried. This is a huge reversal of course for the United Kingdom that harkens to our minds the victory of the Baroness Margaret Thatcher (she was just a green grocer’s feisty daughter in those days) in 1979 and her special relationship with the US President Ronald Reagan. It was a very powerful alliance of thought, leadership, leadership style, and vision.
The world was a safer place when Thatcher and Reagan were in charge.
So, what, Big Red Car?
This election in the UK was a precursor of the impending US election in eleven months, wherein the American electorate will return Donald J Trump to the White House with a Republican House and a Republican Senate.
The socialist ideas of the Labour Party are no more palatable on our side of the pond when cloaked in the nomenclature of the American Democratic Socialists. It is the ideas that were rejected.
Now, before we get too far over our skis, let’s remember that an English socialist is a known thing while an American socialist is a work-in-progress. It is not even likely that a socialist will get the Dem nod, but it is likely that whoever gets the Dem nod will be peddling socialist ideas.
How did Boris win, Big Red Car?
Boris Johnson won on a handful of things:
Following through on Brexit by December 2020 and splitting the sheets with the European Union. This requires an affirmative bit of legislation be finished by 31 January 2020 by Parliament (a Parliament that the Conservative Party now controls)
Entering into a new trade agreement with the European Union.
Entering into a new trade agreement with the United States. [This is also a great benefit to the US as this new direct bi-lateral agreement will eliminate much of the hidebound disadvantages of the arrangement with the European Union.]
Fixing a desperately flawed National Health scheme by hiring 50,000 nurses and 6,000 doctors.
Adding law enforcement muscle in the face of a horrific immigration crime environment.
Promises of “colossal new investments in infrastructure and science.”
The markets liked it. The pound sterling jumped by 2% when compared to the US Dollar indicating approval by the money changers. Stock prices also moved sharply upward.
For the American Socialists, this is the canary-in-the-coal-mine warning that socialism sucks and doesn’t rhyme with anything.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Hey, have a damn nice weekend. Call the ‘rents.
