Election Fever: More heat than light?

by Tim Veater.

"Whom among today's rabble do I hate the most? The Socialist rabble, the Chandala apostles who undermine the worker's instint, his pleasure, his feeling of contentment with his little state of being - who make him envious, who teach him revengefulness...." 

Nietzsche: The Antichrist.

As Churchill famously said, "Democracy is the worst form of government - except for all the others." Another by Albert Einstein could also apply, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'

British General Elections are an exercise of hope over experience. This one in 2024 sets records for 'swings', but underneath are the paradoxes and counter-currents.

Rather like the 1963 election, it was more a vote of rejection of fourteen years of Conservative confusion, than a vote of confidence in Starmer or Labour.

Indeed it seems most Labour voters can't stand the former. It may be replicated by his MPs. This was an election not of support for specific policies, but rather rejection of old ones.

We can see the hidden hand of Sue Gray over the decision to keep the focus on Conservative negatives, rather than Labour positives. Does anyone know what Starmer believes or wants to do?

Labour beliefs and policies are drowned in a soup of fog that may well bode ill for the future, when it controls so large a majority in Parliament.

Where there is no clear policy there can be no proper mandate. Will it become a socialist government of dictat? The precident set by Blair from 1997 is not encouraging: stupid administrative and constitution changes: devastating illegal war within a few years; total subservience to American hegemony; a surge in immigration.

It is worth reminding ourselves that despite the huge Parliamentary majority, it has been achieved with only 35% of the vote, let alone of the eligible electorate!

The Conservative Party and Government was ruined by Brexit, Liz Truss, Covid, Johnson lies and finally 'betting' all deftly magnified by the Labour election controllers. Several outlier results perhaps say more about public mood: no great increase in Labour votes except in Scotland; Corbyn holding his seat in Islington; George Galloway losing his in Rochdale; Reform candidates stealing a significant proportion of the Tory vote; the up-tick of Lib/Dem MPs as a result of tactical voting. Will Liberals shore up socialism or oppose it?

The question is whether a major swing from "one cheek of the backside to another", as Galloway coined it, actually amounts to anything significant? I remain gob-smacked that the British public with a clear conscience, could vote for either or any political party that refused to condemn Genocide in Gaza. Are we destined to be ruled for at least five years by a socialist tyranny, that on the one hand condemns invasion and brutality in Eastern Europe, whilst supporting it in the Middle East?

Here is Sir Keir Starmer PM speech in full:

 

"Good afternoon. I have just returned from Buckingham Palace where I accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to form the next government of this great nation.

'I want to thank the outgoing prime minister, Rishi Sunak. His achievement as the first British Asian prime minister of our country. The extra effort that that will have required should not be underestimated by anyone, and we pay tribute to that today. And we also recognise the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership.

'But now our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics to public service. When the gap between the sacrifices made between people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation.

A draining away of the hope, the spirit, the belief in a better future. That we need to move forward together. Now, this wound, this lack of trust, can only be healed by actions, not words. I know that, but we can make a start today with the simple acknowledgement that public service is a privilege, and that your government should treat every single person in this country with respect.

'If you voted Labour yesterday, we will carry the responsibility of your trust as we rebuild our country. But whether you voted Labour or not, in fact, especially if you did not, I say to you directly – my government will serve you. Politics can be a force for good. We will show that. We have changed the Labour party, returned it to service, and that is how we will govern. County first, party second.

'Yet if I'm honest, service is merely a pre-condition of hope. And it is surely clear to everyone that our country needs a bigger reset. A rediscovery of who we are. Because no matter how fierce the storms of history, one of the great strengths of this nation has always been our ability to navigate away to calmer waters.

And yet this depends on politics - particularly those who stand for stability and moderation, as I do. Recognising when we must change course. For too long now, we've turned a blind eye as millions slid into greater insecurity. Nurses, builders, drivers, carers - people doing the right thing, working harder every day.

'Recognised at moments like this before, yet as soon as the cameras stop rolling, their lives are ignored. I want to say very clearly to those people – not this time.

'Changing a country's not like flicking a switch – the world is now a more volatile place. This will take a while. But have no doubt that the work of change begins immediately. 

'Have no doubt that we will rebuild Britain, with wealth created in every community. The NHS back on its feet facing the future, secure borders, safer streets, everyone treated with dignity and respect at work. 

'The opportunity of clean British power, cutting your energy bills for good. And brick by brick, we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity. 

'The world-class schools and colleges, the affordable homes that I know are the ingredients of hope for working people. The security that working-class families like mine can build their lives around.

'Because if I asked you now whether you believe that Britain will be better for your children, I know too many of you would say 'no'. And so my government will fight every day until you believe again. 

'From now on, you have a government unburdened by doctrine, guided only by the determination to serve your interest. To defy, quietly, those who have written our country off.

'You have given us a clear mandate. And we will use it to deliver change, to restore service and respect to politics, end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives and unite our country. 

'Four nations standing together again, facing down – as we have so often in our past – the challenges of an insecure world, committed to a calm and patient rebuilding.

'So, with respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal. Our work is urgent, and we begin it today. Thank you very much."

The Cabinet:  More hope than experience.

In reply to Andrew George (10.7.2024)  Easier said than done! Reliable sources now put the death toll at over 100,000, not that the number of deaths is a reliable indicator of morality or evil, just the enormity of it. It is totally compatible with the amount of destruction that is all too obvious. In addition to the recovered and identified bodies are the untold thousands of mainly women and children buried alive. The terror and suffering this induced can only be imagined. I have openly opposed the covid nonsense from the beginning and flagged up the dangers of an unproven experimental gene therapy, the consequences of which, although ignored by government, are all too obvious. The October 7th Invasion is a parallel propaganda con, not that people were not killed by the HAMAS attack, but that it was claimed to be 'a surprise', that Israeli claims of rapes, beheadings and cooked in ovens were lies, and that a large proportion of those killed was at the behest and action of the IDF itself! Of course the conflict did not start on the 7th October (incidentally exactly 22 years since Bush announced his equally suspect war on Afghanistan) but 75 years before when three quarters of a million Palestinians were either murdered or dispossessed, never allowed to return, apart from those that settled in Gaza. This latest Gaza 'operation' was but the latest massacre of many. It was pre-planned in concert with America and Britain, both of whom have actively supported it. Both Sunak and Starmer are implicated in genocide and have blood on their hands, though like resurgent Blair, they can only expect accolades from a complicit establishment. As was always the case, the more you kill the more you can expect to be lionised.

Tim Veater

Geoffrey Blackman Oh how naive you must be Mr Blackman (I hope I am not being racist!) if you believe Israel was 'taken by surprise by the Oct 7th breakout and incursion or that the total descruction of Gaza was anything to do with it. It was certainly used as an excuse I agree - what in the parlance is termed a 'false flag'. It is instead a cynical and predictable continuation of a long-standing policy of extermination, for which excuses have to be sought and provided. You must know that Israel withdrew jews from Gaza nearly twenty years ago so that it could bomb and kill with impunity and that it actively supported and controlled the HAMAS organisation to prevent a unified front under the then PLO. As I said, you must be naive to accept at face the rubbish that emanates from that barbaric, extremist regime and terrorist spokespersons.