Promises, promises is probably the best way to summarise any election. In the case of the UK elections; it has reached new heights. Every day, weary Brits who have been witnessing the car crash of Brexit negotiations for the past three years, hear about a new pledge. Political parties are playing top trumps with spending pledges with promises of more policemen, money for the National Health Service, less taxes, more taxes. And voters know the politicians are going to fight for the next four years in Parliament about why those promises that they so easily made, have not been kept. The media keep on telling the voting public, that this is an election like nothing that came before it, that old loyalties are being put aside and the country will move away from its bi-partisan past of the socialists, trade unions and working class voting for Labour and the middle class and toffs sticking to the Conservatives. Judging from the so-called hustings that are being held in many constituencies where candidates are being grilled by local voters; the only appetite clearly on display is the desire of voters to punish MPs for what they have been put through in the last three years. Simon Lincoln Reader has been keeping an eye on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who is in the spotlight for not curbing anti-Semitism in his party and he is disappointed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not showing more of his true blue colours of favouring policies that help the business sector. And then there is Corbyn’s promise to bring the brutality of the British Empire into the school curriculum. Now if you think there may be a “Groot Askies” for what was done to the Boers; Simon says you are going to be disappointed – as disappointed as most voters in the UK feel about the candidates they have to choose from. – Linda van Tilburg
SLR Diary: UK Election Special
By Simon Lincoln Reader*
Imagine you are a newly appointed advisor to Jeremy Corbyn, seated backstage at the first of this election season’s television interviews. You are anxious; he’s polling badly in traditional northern Labour strongholds, sections of the media are convinced he’s had a stroke (a fresnel prism lens in his left spectacle does nothing to neuter rumours) and days into the job you’re already exhausted by persistent allegations that he’s deliberately made no effort to address rampant anti-semitism in his party.
The debate kicks off and his opponent starts well. A bit too well. But then Jeremy is gifted a free pass, a question unrelated to the legitimate concerns of Britain’s Jews, so easy to answer and make up ground earlier conceded: “Is Prince Andrew fit for purpose?”
The answer is of course “no”. Corbyn now has an opportunity to project items from his social justice catalogue, condemn the Duke of York as a beneficiary of inherited privilege and pretend to care about victims of sexual exploitation just as he pretends to care about black people and Muslims. Easy. Thank you, you mumble, its on – it’s on like fat Pat’s thong.
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Only its not. To what is the easiest question of this election season, he does the unthinkable: he pronounces “Epstein” as “YEP-SCHTINE”. You think you’ve misheard. Until he does it again. “YEP-SCHTINE”.
Every Jew watching ITV notices. Many immediately jeer: why doesn’t he just say “YEP-SCHTINE’S” full name, but replace Jeffrey with “SHLOMO”? In a place and during a time one would consider caricature or stereotype as unthinkable guests, Jeremy’s managed to fill it with hooked noses, nasal whines and boardroom lust.
What do you do? Resign immediately? Or do you tough it out in the hope that there are over 1 billion voting members of the transgender lobby coupled to Corbyn’s main supporters, those angry middle-class young baristas with angular tattoos on their forearms and bouffant fringes? At some point there has to be paranoia: you might be the most unelectable opposition in modern history.
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Boris Johnson is speaking at the CBI, the Confederation of British Industry. This institution is wildly pro-European Union, and has been accused of taking Brussels’ side more than sticking up for its members. Boris is due to announce the scrapping of the Corporation Tax, which would be the first Conservative thing to happen for a while.
But he doesn’t.
Oblivious to the Laffer curve, Boris announces that in fact, he’s keeping Corporation Tax, and the revenue it generates, he says, will go straight to the NHS.
Once again, O’Sullivan’s first law of politics explodes on the face of the British government – anything that is not inherently conservative, even if it calls itself conservative, will gradually shift to the left.
This speech is final confirmation of contemporary conservatism’s appearance and meaning, what it will look like should Johnson win a majority. I don’t think there will ever be another Margaret Thatcher. When a conservative government is so willing to concede to the opposition – not to challenge the BBC, or the NHS, or climate hysteria, you can’t help but wonder whether a country’s finest days are behind them.
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After his performance on ITV, Corbyn decides to venture off the reservation.
He gives a talk – “Labour’s faith and race manifesto”, in Tottenham where he explains that English children, under his government, will study the brutality of the Empire, and hang their heads in shame at the dastardly acts committed by those who conquered in its name. Every social justice warrior in the UK squealed with delight, before presumably going off for a celebratory vegetarian meal at the local Ethiopian.
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I confess I squealed too. For my Afrikaans friends, particularly the farmers amongst them. For history to be condemned, that which stood before the conquerers needs to be revered – and theoretically this means that under Jeremy’s guidelines, Afrikaans farmers will be parachuted into textbooks and curriculums and praised for their cultural superiority.
Read also: Another kick in the teeth from British about Boer War
What are the chances? They’re white you see, so zero, because Jeremy hates whites, particularly successful ones. As he frequently demonstrates, he would align himself with the maddest of Muslim extremists – with West African militias serving slices of their enemies buttocks’ to guests. But teaching children about Christian white Afrikaners? That would be too awkward I’m afraid.
- Simon Lincoln Readers lives and works in London.