Opinion | Broken Britain, the end of 14 years of Conservative government

By Tom Fowdy

It is now two days before the British General Election. The latest polling model predicts the Labour Party may win up to 436 MPs, producing a wipeout of the governing Conservatives. The scale of Keir Starmer's predicted victory is so high that at this stage there are no doubts about it, bringing an end to 14 years of Conservative government which commenced with David Cameron's coalition with the liberal democrats in 2010. Over that past decade and a half or so, Britain has changed dramatically, and not for the better. It is no exaggeration to say they have left the country in a state of ruin and have thoroughly run it to the ground. The average person is in fact poorer, and the mood has never looked more pessimistic. The mood for change is in the air.

The Conservatives first swept to power in 2010, aligned with Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008. Skilled in the art of public relations, and backed by the mainstream media, David Cameron successfully made the case that the wrecking of the British economy was a product of mismanagement by Gordon Brown's government, and therefore a massive program of eyewatering austerity was required to balance the books. Large numbers of the public bought into this narrative, not understanding that the infamous "budget deficit" was caused by economic contraction and a fall in tax receipts, not to mention that removing government spending would also have a negative economic impact.

The effects of austerity were devastating. This ideological program cut British public services to the bone, leading to an increase of crime, poverty, and homelessness. I remember when most of the police stations in my hometown disappeared, the surge in the use of foodbanks, the appearance of new rough sleepers on the streets; to say the least the impact of austerity was harrowing and it only contributed to a lacklustre economic climate wherein the UK is still worse off than 2007. Yet that was only the beginning of our problems. The pessimistic mood contributed to political polarisation, which alongside identity changes, led to the rise of right-wing populism, UKIP and thus infighting within the Conservative Party.

David Cameron, a Liberal Conservative, soon found he had to balance the factional war between right wing Eurosceptics and liberals, leading him to gamble on a divisive European Union referendum which he believed he could win and thus put the issue to bed. However, Boris Johnson saw the referendum as an opportunistic opening to advance himself. Boris capitalised on the "leave" campaign, won it and subsequently toppled the Cameron Premiership. The UK's vote to leave was one of the most shocking and controversial political outcomes of all time, creating a new highly divisive political atmosphere spurned with vindictiveness.

It also led to political paralysis which saw the UK suffer three years of limbo as Theresa May failed to consolidate her authority, botching the 2017 General Election, and losing her majority. After struggling on for two years, Boris Johnson eventually entered Ten Downing Street in 2019 and under the slogan "Get Brexit Done", swept aside the left leaning Labour of Jeremy Corbyn with a large majority. This victory consolidated the Conservative Party's transformation into a right-wing populist force which subsequently ended the liberal Cameron legacy, reminiscent of what Britain had now become.

But more trouble was afoot, just months later the COVID pandemic would strike unexpectedly, not only forcing unpopular decisions, but also exposing grotesque government incompetence and mismanagement. Boris Johnson was soon exposed to have broken his own lockdown rules in the infamous "partygate" scandal, cratering his credibility and trust permanently. Simultaneously, the British government commenced on an aggressive transatlanticist foreign policy, with uncritical loyalty to US foreign policy goals further undermining British standards of living and leading to surging inflation. After Boris resigned, the baton was handed over to the right-wing fantasist Liz Truss. Truss attempted to force through an ideological "mini-budget" which produced an economic crisis and forced her resignation in a month, leading to the shortest tenure in British political history.

Following Truss's resignation, Rishi Sunak then took the helm of the sinking ship, but it was too late and the damage was done. He has proceeded over a government tainted by a perception of distrust, incompetence, and contempt. He frequently attempted to "press right wing buttons" with populist talking points to shore up support, but to no avail. Now, the Conservative Party is set to experience its largest defeat in a century and presumably, as it were from 1997-2010, face a generation in the wilderness. As the British public gaze upon the much poorer, battered, and broken country they have created, they surely will not be missed.

Thus, under Keir Starmer's Labour, a new political era begins, but nobody knows what quite to expect. He is someone who is winning not because of his own appeal or vision, which nobody can really clarify what he stands for, but because of the sheer contempt people have for the status quo.

The author is a well-seasoned writer and analyst with a large portfolio related to China topics, especially in the field of politics, international relations and more. He graduated with an Msc. in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2018.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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