In the morning of the election I predicted a Tory majority of 38, but as the day wore on I started to get more and more nervous. Reading Twitter, as I do, did not help as some started to say that it was now 50/50 for a hung parliament.I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that we were heading to a repeat of the 2017 result. I felt like I wanted to cry.
I sat there for a few minutes waiting for the exit poll to come out. When it did my relief was overwhelming. Out came the Cava and I felt able to relax. The UK is still not ready for full blooded socialism.
How did Boris do it? How did he win all those solid Labour seats in the North, Midlands and Wales?
As a Northerner myself I think I have some insight. I think there's four aspects to this:
1. Brexit.
The North generally voted for Brexit. They were then told that they were stupid, xenophobic or didn't know what they were voting for. The Labour party said in 2017 that they would respect the result of the referendum but then did everything but.
For 2019 the Labour party was then saying they would have to have another referendum in order to leave, but this time on a new deal which would still be in the EU Customs Union and very close if not in the single market. These would not represent the Brexit that was posted through the letter boxes on the Leave vote leaflets in 2016. It was also said that the franchise was to be extended to 16 and 17 years old, and also to EU nationals. Talk about gerrymandering the result to overturn the 2016 referendum!
Northerners are not thick and could see through this. Brexit was a disaster for Labour.
2) Jeremy Corbyn.
Not well liked over the UK, he is especially disliked up north. What is not widely recognised, the north is incredibly patriotic. Unlike the liberal south there is not the shame of the UK's past. Sure, the UK made mistakes but we should not live constantly shamed by those. Jeremy Corbyn represents that shame. He hates the UK, he sides with our enemies, whether they are terrorists such as the IRA, Hamas or Hezbollah or countries such as Iran and Russia.
It was noticeable in the Labour manifesto that there were sections showing our shame, such as requirements to teach our colonialism in history lessons in schools. There were also mentions of making reparations for our past and saying sorry for it.
He also allowed antisemitism to fester in the Labour party. He shares the world view of the vast members of momentum that joined Labour to get him elected as Labour leader in 2015. He could not wheedle it out as it is his world view that is the problem and shares with a reasonably large section of the the far left members.
3) It's too good to be true
The Labour party manifesto had a lot of individually popular policies (ones that I would disagree with, but popular amongst a lot of people), but put together very expensive in total. People did not believe that this could all be paid for by the richest people in society.
Northerners and the working classes are not stupid enough to believe in the magic money tree, and they know that they would end up paying in either higher taxes or prices.
4) Boris Johnson
Boris is a cheerful character. He's also more popular person up north than down south. He's interesting without seeming too weird and righteous, unlike Jeremy Corbyn. I know hardened Labour voters who like him but find Corbyn too angry and unlikable.
If you put all those together it is quite compelling to see how the 'red wall' fell. Unlike 2017, when it looked like the Labour party could go along with Brexit it was clear that this time it would not. Jeremy Corbyn did not have any personal bounce like he did last time in 2017, and Boris Johnson's campaign was much better than Theresa May's.
It's quite funny when reading the far left tweets of the angry momentum types. They would quite often say to any moderate Labour types 'Why don't you just f**k off and join the Tories'. Funnily, they did that and then the momentum types complain that they didn't win the election!
Moving on, Boris Johnson has made some great speeches trying to re-unite the country. He seems to be a different figure now that he has his own mandate and Brexit will be 'done'. I just hope that he can now make some real changes to those communities that have gone to the Tories for the first time in decades. To have broken the Labour stranglehold is one thing and it makes it easier for people to vote Tory again, but the Tories really need to deliver now.
Squiffy.
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