Does it feel like there’s an election in less than three weeks? No, it doesn’t for me either. Whether it’s because of the winter season, the dull campaign and the apparently assumed result, this election doesn’t have the same buzz or excitement as the snap election of 2017. Perhaps it’s because it had been assumed Boris Johnson would go to the country since he walked into Downing Street, so is less of a surprise than Theresa May’s fateful decision many Easters ago. During the most wonderful time of the year, people want to be thinking about family, friends, presents and the community rather than the merits of Brexit. It’s easy to see why this election hasn’t captured the nation in the same way.
Perhaps there is just a sense of political tedium. Whatever time of year the election was taking place, people may have just had enough of politics, as Brenda from Bristol would say. This has been reflected in the campaigns, which I have found deeply uninspiring. It’s reach the climax with Jeremy Corbyn doing an interview with Lad Bible. Seriously? This follows Michael Gove’s tweet like a rapper following Stormzy’s (again, who?) endorsement of the Labour leader as Prime Minister. I am all for involving young people in the political process and teaching them how to think about the state of the world. We are, after all, the next generation, who want to modernise and transform the political landscape. But politics doesn’t have to descend to such vacuous nonsense. It simplifies politicians, who are far more intelligent than they appear. It also patronises the youth, suggesting we’ll only engage in politics if it is dumbed down to mirror popular culture. Nobody comes out of it looking any good. ****************************************************************************************************************** Such is the absence of any clear direction within the campaign that a focus on polls has reemerged as a clear priority. For this I merit praise for the Britain Elects page who are just fantastic at looking through the nonsense, determining which polls are relevant and noting the changes. They are starting to show Labour narrowly rising in the polls, at the expense of the Lib Dems and Conservatives. Is this a repeat of 2017? It’s obviously too early to tell. As ever, it is the trend of polls not individuals polls which are important. And the actual election result could be completely different. People who were tempted to stay at home or spoil their ballot may be so fearful of a Corbyn premiership that they decide to hold their nose and vote Conservative. While the actual result won’t be known until Friday 13th December, it is fascinating to see how the polls are slowly altering. I wonder whether the debates helped. It certainly gave the parties media exposure, with no individuals making a serious error. The ITV debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson didn’t impress me, with the two men only having time to make their soundbites, not properly delve into issues. Need I discuss the minutes devoted to Christmas presents. It did nothing to further the discussion - one hour was far too short a period of time to properly debate the direction of the nation. ****************************************************************************************************************** There was, however, more to be gained from the BBC Question Time discussion. The fact each leader was given half an hour certainly allowed time for their arguments to breath. I like the interaction with the audience when proper questions were raised, for that is what elections should be about: engaging with the public, attempting to win the argument and having to face people with whom you may disagree. That was certainly the case for Jo Swinson, who is not judged to have performed well. I listened to the discussion on BBC Radio 5 live instead of watching it on BBC One, so maybe my analysis of the show may be different. I really felt she came under a lot of slack, not least for the revoke policy. I was surprised with the number of remainers who were still desperate to stay in the EU but believed this could only happen through a second referendum. It’s questionable as to whether the Lib Dem campaign was always going to struggle. In the European elections, where the party came second, people felt they could vote Lib Dems without any issue whatsoever. In a general election campaign deciding the next Prime Minister, smaller parties will inevitably get squeezed. The outcome of this election cannot be determined, with, according to Matthew Goodwin, a quarter of people yet to decide their voting intention. I can predict with confidence however that Jo Swinson will not be the next Prime Minister. ****************************************************************************************************************** I am yet to see Andrew Neil’s interview with Nicola Sturgeon. It is brilliant the BBC are using his talents to ensure leaders are properly held to account. From what I’ve read, that was certainly the case with the Scottish First Minister. Brilliantly, she was questioned over her domestic record, which, in an age of Brexit and calls for another independence referendum, hardly receives a mention. It deserves far more scrutiny both because the SNP have been in office for a decade and their level of control over Scotland is huge. Their influence over their own affairs is a form of quasi-federalism, such is the extent of devolved matters. Personally, while I accept devolution cannot be abolished, I do think it has gone too far and fuelled claims for independence. While the devolved governments have such an extensive level of powers, they deserve to be just as accountable as the UK government. ****************************************************************************************************************** This has not been the best election campaign for Boris Johnson either. And he has fought plenty. From failing to deal with the aftermath of flooding adequately to altering Keir Starmer’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ interview, the resignation of his Welsh Secretary to failing to release an Intelligence and Security Committee report on Russian interference in elections, questions over his relationship with Jennifer Arcuri to the Conservative campaign headquarters (CCHQ) altering their twitter name to FactCheckUK, the disappearance of his Commons leader Jacob Rees Mogg to the audience laughter over his trust, he has not performed well. As the great Stephen Bush mused, if the Conservatives are returned with a large enough majority to ensure their governance for the considerable future, maybe they will think of removing Boris Johnson in exchange for younger talent. The election result will most certainly be memorable. But the campaign has been dispiriting for those of us who still appreciate intellectual public debate.
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