The people felt that this government is not capable of strengthening the country’s economy, now we have to choose an alternative.
This was the general election in the UK on the 4th of July. Most of the results of the polls, which were held from 7 am to 10 pm, were out by 7 am the next day, July 5.
The Labor Party, which won only 203 out of 650 seats in the British Parliament in the 2019 general election, has now become the first party to win more than twice as many seats, i.e. 412 seats, with the results of 2 regions yet to be announced. Similarly, the Conservative Party, which was in power with 365 seats in the 2019 election, had to settle for a total of 121 seats in this election.
Why did the Conservative Party, which held elections by itself in the government and ruled continuously for 14 years, fall behind like that? One of the main reasons for this is political instability within the Conservative Party. Only after the general election of 2019, three leaders changed from the Conservative Party and accordingly three Prime Ministers were elected.
The British people did not like this. Changing a leader is not just a change of face, but also a change in the leader’s working style, personality, vision or policy to some extent. It has a negative impact on people’s daily life, economy and society directly.
This is well observed by the common people and its results are visible in the elections. The Conservative Party now has to bear the consequences.
Another main reason for the Conservative Party to leave the government is the stagnancy in the British economy during the Conservative government, i.e. the weak economy of the UK. The effect of this is ‘Cost of Living’, i.e. expensive daily life and high prices, common people fell. It is the responsibility of the government to solve whatever the external and internal reasons are.
The people felt that this government is not capable of strengthening the country’s economy, now we have to choose an alternative. Hence, the Labor Party got a chance to run the government with an overwhelming majority along with the hope and trust of the people.
If, by the next election, the Labor Party could not raise the country’s economy and work in the interest of the country and the people, then it may be the party’s turn to sit out of the government again.
Similarly, for the past few years, there has been a continuous problem in the delivery of health services in the UK. It directly affected the health of the people. ‘Waiting time’ means patients had to wait for a long time to get admitted to the hospital and get treatment. People expected improvement, the government also promised to improve health services. However, the data did not show that and it proved that the government did not fulfill its promise. The Conservative Party got the result in this election.
In the same way, the Conservative Party expressed concern about the people’s interest in the continuously increasing number of immigrants in the country and made a policy to reduce the number of immigrants. Initially, the policy was to reduce the number of ‘net’ or total immigrants (the difference between people leaving the country and people coming into the country) to less than 1,000, but later in December 2023, the total number of ‘net’ or total immigrants coming to the UK reached 685,000. The people felt that the Conservative Party could not fulfill this promise. As a result, this party was taken to the opposition by the people.
There are two main things that attract the attention of voters in UK elections. First, party leader and second, party policy. It is already known which party wins the British election and who will be the Prime Minister. The leader of a British political party is the same person who becomes the Prime Minister of the party. In this election, the opposition party Labor Party was strong on both sides. Sir Keir Starmer, known as a strong, competent and honest leader with an attractive personality, won the hearts of the people.
In Britain, not only political parties and their leaders, but the general public are interested in the policies and programs of the main political parties. They also see it as a decisive document to cast their vote. It is also a civilized and robust aspect of a democratic political system. As a result, politics becomes truly policy-oriented, the country becomes strong, prosperous and the society improves.
The people who have already tested the policy of the Conservative Party, this time also believed the policy of the Labor Party and handed over the power to the Labor Party. And, seeing that they could not make and implement good policies and programs despite having the opportunity, they sent the Conservative Party to the opposition.
In these and some other matters related to people’s livelihood, the Conservative Party’s policies, programs and actions were found to be weak. It is for this reason that the British people sought an alternative to the Conservative Party. The beauty of democracy is to send those who can’t do anything to the opposition and give a chance to another party who can do it.
No one has a magic wand to develop the country today and tomorrow. It is the result of continuous honest efforts, long-term vision of political parties and leaders, transparency, accountability and many more. People are looking for political stability in the country.
Therefore, the British people understand well that stable government and stable politics are in the best interest of all and have shown it in practice. The job of the government is to facilitate the daily life of the people, to solve the problems of the country and the people, and to make the country strong, successful, capable and prosperous in every aspect. Its main responsibility is the political party and its leader. Keeping this sentiment and idea in mind, the British people have sent those who cannot to the opposition and handed over the reins of power to the party with potential.
(Former councilor Dr. Keaney, affiliated with the Labor Party of Great Britain, was a candidate for parliament from that party in the 2017 British general election .)
