Quite by accident I stumbled across “Escape from Alcatraz” on the TV yesterday and, having never seen it before, watched it and really quite enjoyed it. I even enjoyed the way that Clint Eastwood et al had seemingly been filmed in purple and yellow, thanks to the still-not-functioning-properly TV. After the film Lawrences decided that it would be a good idea to watch bit of news while eating our tea.
Big mistake.
The daft PM that is Theresa May had decided to launch a bid for a snap General Election and had chosen to announce it at tea-time in Kuala Lumpur. How inconsiderate. Ok, so it did not put me off my sausages and pasta, but it certainly didn’t improve the experience.
May’s decision, I believe, is wrong on many accounts. I am not a Conservative Party supporter or voter and am not a supporter of leaving the EU / Single Market. I am also not willing to agree to a manufactured consensus that says “well a vote was taken and we should simply accept the result without question and get on with it.” Especially when enacting the result of that vote is akin to shooting oneself in the foot. However I am reasonable enough to accept that there are people who strongly believe that the course of action proposed by the UK PM is the right one in terms of leaving the EU. She has an advisory referendum result to give her a mandate for action and a working majority in Parliament to enact leaving the EU and attempting to go it alone. If she truly believes that that is the right course of action, despite previously believing that it was in Britain’s best interest to remain the the EU, then she has the wherewithal to do what she believes is right.
However to decide to have a General Election is not the right course of action and smacks of self and party interest rather than doing things for the good of the country. The Fixed Term Parliament Act was brought in to make sure that Prime Ministers could no longer dictate the dates, and often terms, under which General Elections took place. The Act removed a significant advantage from the serving Prime Minister (“Now is our best opportunity, folks”) and at the same time took away a significant anxiety for them too (“Is now our best opportunity, folks?) and democracy benefitted as a result. I am also a firm believer that the first past the post method of electing representatives does not serve democracy well and adds to a very real sense of democratic deficit.
It is very clear that the main opposition party is at its lowest ebb for a long time and that it is in no position to challenge to become the Government at the moment. It is also clear that the Conservatives are also in with a good chance of winning a bigger majority thanks to Labour being in such a mess and there still being a broken electoral system. It is also clear that the only political parties and groupings who are Pro-EU are the ones with the least influence and support. Labour has, at its best, been ambivalent about Brexit and at its worst pro-Brexit. The new Theresa May Government has embraced Brexit with great enthusiasm and so why bother voting for a the faux Tories when you vote for the real thing, could well come in to her calculations. So taken altogether it would appear that the Prime Minister has decided “Now is our best opportunity, folks,” ignored good legislation and fired the starting pistol on an election race that no-one, except herself and closest chums, wanted.
May made great play of doing politics properly when she became Prime Minister. Sadly her decision could well serve to remind UK voters that the worst type of politicians are those who claim to be working in the best interests of the people but their actions appear to show that they are more interested in serving themselves.
A principled stand from the opposition parties could block this proposed General Election. Many of those who enthusiastically supported the Fixed Term Parliament Act could now, if they had the gumption to, support the Act and decide not to let a wayward Prime Minister get her own way.
Part of me really wishes I had not changed the TV channel.