Second Tory electoral disaster after David Cameron’s Brexit vote
The results of the snap UK election called three years beforehand by PM Theresa May are out, and reveal a strategic blunder, as in the case of the Brexit referendum under David Cameron, who resigned on that score. Complacency, caused by misplaced over-confidence in pollsters’ predictions became her undoing, as indeed for that darling of the US military–industrial complex, Hillary Clinton. But this is not the end of May. Her Conservative party still remains the UK’s largest with 318 (-12) seats though it has lost its simple majority(326) in the 650 member House, and sacrificed three cabinet ministers in the reckless gamble. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a genuine old style socialist, written off and reviled even within his own party as the chief catalyst of a probable Labour electoral rout, in fact turned the tables on his detractors with a truly impressive showing, increasing his party’s seats to 261(+31).The independence-seeking Scottish National Party too suffered a setback at Tory expense, with its representation reduced by 19 to 35 seats. A hung parliament, the country’s worst nightmare, is the dubious outcome.
May’s visions of a landslide win boosting her ‘strong and stable’ leadership and strengthening her hand in the tough Brexit negotiations ahead have gone up in smoke. She is now staring at a coalition government,perhaps with the Irish Democratic Unionist Party, which won 10 seats.Though she has ‘no intention of resigning’, her political and personal credit now stands on slippery ground, with ambitious contenders like Boris Johnson reportedly staking claim to the leadership. Even Corbyn has chimed in with an ominous ‘Labour ready to serve’ statement.
And in fact, May is no ‘Iron Lady’ like Margaret Thatcher, whom a political rival once referred to as ‘Attila the Hen’! She ran a lacklustre campaign under an ineffective manifesto, was booed at rallies, refused to participate in television debates and absolutely lacked charisma with the voters. Even her staff referred to her weak, wooden and wavering personality as ‘Theresa May—or may be not’!