musings n waffle: Vicissitude

Uncertain times

Good old Albion doing what it 'does best' internecine conflict. Runners have left their starting blocks in the race to July 4th.

2024 the beginning of July is likely to be fraught in Britain. Europeans were already committed to days of polling in June 6th to 9th. Lots of brouhaha.

Now the Tories have dissolved Parliament in order to go to the Hustings. I.e. the campaigning that goes on before Polling Day.

Tory party campaign image.

Unlike the U.S.A. which goes thro' seemingly endless contortions for months on end; the U.K. can and does decide in as little as 6 weeks.

Time for a bit of History.

The Labour Party was created in the early years of the 20th century. Previously, the two main political parties were the Tories and the Liberals.

Our late and much lamented Queen Elizabeth II saw the comings and goings of numerous Prime Ministers.

Winston Churchill (1951 – 1955) Conservative

Fellow Conservative 1955-57 Sir Anthony Eden

Another Conservative 1957-63 Harold Macmillan

Next, 1963-64 Sir Alec Douglas-Home

Since the Conservatives had been in power for some 12+ years, voter boredom kicked in. Time to try the other lot. Labour

1964-70 Enter, Harold Wilson – Won the October election with a majority of just 4. Resulting in a rise in unemployment and inflation

1970 - 1974 Edward Heath - Conservative - A period of great industrial upheaval and economic decline.

Back to Harold Wilson 1974-76 Labour 1976 Britain’s economic situation was dire.

1976-79 James Callaghan also Labour went cap in hand to the IMF for an emergency loan.

Return of Conservatives -

1979-90 Years of oppression and warfare. Thatcherism. Falklands War and industrial unrest.

1990-97 John Major – spent billions trying to protect his pet economic policy – membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism.

Labour years of Teflon Tony.

1997 - 2007 More acts of warfare invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and an invasion of Iraq in 2003.

2007-10 Non-elected successor Gordon Brown, former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

2010-15 Tory David Cameron – Britain’s first coalition government since World War II, with the Liberal Democrats - commonly referred to as the ConDems.

2015-16 David Cameron brought about his own demise by holding a Referendum.

2017 succeeded by non - elected successor Theresa May.

John Major had been the grey man of politics, Theresa became the grey lady.

2019 the turbulent Prime Ministership of Boris Johnson. Covid. 2022 forced out by Social Media. Trial by Social Media.

2022 replacement Liz Truss did a lot of damage in her very tumultuous 45-day tenure. Turned Britain into a proverbial disaster area.

Followed by Rishi Sunak, like Gordon Brown, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

History repeating, after over a decade of Tory government, trial by Social Media has resumed.

Ennui has driven the election. Typically, Conservatives hold Prime Ministerships for over a decade. Electorate also suffer from ennui. Tories fed-up of being pilloried by the Opposition and Social Media have 'gone to the Nation' and triggered a General Election.

Nothing in politics is ever plain sailing. Recently, the Boundary Commission have done a shake-up, moving and manipulating constituency boundaries.

Taking Halewood as an example. Part on Knowsley, hived off to form a constituency known as Garston and Halewood. Unsuccessful, since Garston is part of Liverpool.

Now, Halewood has been tagged on to part of Cheshire without the benefits of a Cheshire post code.

Halton constituency has been erased. Boundary Commission have created on paper Widnes and Halewood.

Halton included Widnes with Runcorn