Authors: Aaran Pilot & Biswajit Sahoo
“No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Winston Churchill
The prayer and the anthem “God save the King” have been the attitude of the people of the United Kingdom. This nation once controlled over a quarter of the world during WWI—the empire on which the sun would never set, stands at an uncertain precipice for its future. An election that will not just will determine the future of the nation but have far reaching global ramifications.
The UK, being one of the founding nations of the United Nations, continues to hold the veto power in the Security Council. Currently, the UK is the 6th largest economy with a GDP of $3.3 trillion, and London is one of the global hubs for finance and business services. It’s soft power dominance from sport to news narratives and from the Royal Ballet Academy to the booming television and film industry, the UK remains a global melting pot for artists across disciplines.
Further, as a member of the commonwealth and the nation that heads it, the UK shares its head of state with 14 other nations, giving it an immediate commitment to the commonwealth as well.
With the UK being one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education and being home to some of the world’s oldest and most prestigious institutions, the upcoming elections will also impact the policies on education and the opportunities for persons from the rest of the world to study in the UK. The election result will significantly determine the access to the UK for students and young talent, as each manifesto aims to act differently to enforce immigration control.
However, if there is one word that can sum up the UK elections, it is Austerity. The parties, the leaders, and the people have been in a state of austerity, which is visible from the nervousness of the parties and frustration among voters. Another exciting thing about this election is that, unlike countries like the USA, India and other big democracies, elections here are not fought on identity politics or social cleavages. The economy, price rise, healthcare, education, and energy remain significant issues.
Since Brexit, the UK according to most reports has been slow in mending its lows when it comes to the economy, especially concerning jobs, commerce and investments. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic made the pre-existing crisis multi-faceted and overwhelming for the country, with the global rise in inflation rates adding to the crises.
The Tories, otherwise known as the Conservative Party, have been the longest-serving ruling party, it saw the passing of the longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and the unprecedented political turmoil of three Prime Ministers, namely Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak who succeeded each other in a span of just a few months.
The UK’s election, which usually occurs in the latter half of the year, in November and December, was advanced by a sudden announcement from the incumbent PM Rishi Sunak.
The UK’s inflation had fallen to 2.3%, the lowest in three years. This allowed for PM Rishi Sunak to use this data as leverage to announce an election. However a sudden decrease in inflation cannot change the severely impacted National Healthcare System, (Public British Healthcare) public transportation and energy needs in such a short amount of time, disinflation must continue for a prolonged period of time for any benefit to be felt by the British People . However the PM hopes that this leverage will bridge the gap in their numbers against the Labour Party. However, the Labour Party has maintained a significant lead of around 21% in the polls, which might result in the Tories slumping to the lowest number of seats since the party’s formation.
As we have seen in various countries including India, and the pollsters might be mistaken the onground situation can be very different. After all, there remain many strongholds and very many promising candidates for the incumbents.
What however is a sure certainty, is the general disinterest in voting rising. In a time when the electorate feels powerless and has a sense of despair, the youth has shown the light of hope that their voice matters. The participation of students in mock elections and debates has encouraged many young people to register to vote. Amongst the youth- environment, healthcare, and education remain primary issues. But being enthusiastic about issues and going out to vote are two different things. Hence, young voters must take up their responsibility and cast their votes for an election that will shape the UK that their generation will live in.
While election day will only determine how enthusiastically citizens vote, all the parties have been trying to create an atmosphere to encourage participation from voters on social media and campaign posters.
These elections are unique in a time when identity politics has taken centre stage in almost all democracies, including Europe. This election will shape the future of the UK and so also from Rome to Romania- determine how geo-politics will be impacted.
Until counting day!