Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Gregory Hood: What the British Elections Mean for Whites - "In 2016 people believed Trump’s boasts about 'terrific' health care, new infrastructure, and a wall Mexico would pay for. In 2020 the same promises will sound hollow"


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In the British parliamentary elections last week, Labour didn’t just lose the election. It lost its base.


The new Conservative majority will include MP’s from constituencies that haven’t supported Tories for decades. Prime Minister Boris Jonson broke the “Red Wall,” or Labour’s “old coalition of small-town, working-class voters in the Midlands and north of England.” In 2016, Donald Trump did much the same when he won most of the Rust Belt: the “Blue Wall” Democrats took for granted.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is an old-school socialist. Despite this “radicalism,” he was spineless on Brexit. He promised a second referendum but said he would stay “neutral.” If you’re going to throw out democracy, you should at least defend your position. In contrast, Boris Johnson had a clear message: “Get Brexit done.” With his huge, newly won majority, he can.
Mr. Johnson also co-opted popular issues from Labour. In his post-election press conference, he said his “People’s Government” would focus “above all” on the National Health Service. He will increase NHS funding and spend billions in the (former) Labour heartland in north England, which has lagged economically. The Conservatives are becoming a working-class party. ...