The Conservative Party's crushing defeat comes after an eventful 14 years in power in which they not only took the country out of the European Union, withstood the Covid pandemic and sought to forge a new position for the country in the world beyond continental links, but also suffered a series of controversies, frequent leadership changes: 5 MPs in a decade and a half! - and great internal divisions.
Presiding over a decade or more of economic stagnation and social neglect – from Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity program and the implications of Brexit – also led to the result.
Meanwhile, the Labor Party, reeling from a series of defeats after its own 13 years in power and a pronounced leftward tilt under Jeremy Corbyn, was reformed and revitalized under the government's former law officer, Sir Keir Starmer, to deliver a compelling program and successful outreach. .
It won 412 seats, just a shade shy of the 419 won by Tony Blair in 1997 to end 18 years of Conservative rule, but equal to its haul in 2001.
Time will show whether the result was actually a Labor victory or a Conservative defeat, although it must be borne in mind that hatred for the current situation and enthusiasm for the available alternative are not on a par.
It also remains to be seen how the ruling Labor Party will fare, but the course and results of the election throw up certain instructive points, although it is debatable whether they are long-term in nature or linked to this particular election cycle.
The economic situation and standard of living remain a primary public concern
The Conservatives presided over more than a decade of economic morass in which not only did incomes remain stagnant amid rising inflation, leading to falling living standards, but productivity also declined.
It is true that the consequences of Covid were a challenge for all governments, but Cameron's austerity program and the reduction in social spending that it implied, and then Brexit, were options. By the time Sunak promised the country was getting better, the damage had already been done.
Power may (or may not) corrupt, but long periods are 'blind'
The course of British political history over the past four and a half decades is instructive. Of these 45 years, the Conservatives were in power for 32 years: in two consecutive stretches of 18 years (1979-1997) under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and 14 years (2010-24) under Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Sunak, against 13 of the Labor Party (1997-2010) under Blair and Gordon Brown.
Complacency and contempt for public perception clearly set in, as admitted by a number of senior Conservative leaders, many of whom lost their seats, who had distanced themselves from the people and failed to respect or respond to concerns.
Don't imitate far-right populists
This is particularly applicable to the Conservatives, who have, in recent years, moved increasingly to the right, in an attempt to outflank the UK Brexit/Reform Party on issues such as EU membership and immigration, while Suella Braverman.
It brought them no appreciable benefits, but it hurt them when the votes swung towards Nigel Farage's Reform Party, which may have won only 4 seats but outnumbered them by dozens. Conservatives learned too late that if you put a populist party in the spotlight trying to hijack their platform, what's to stop people from voting for the real party?
Europe's right turn is not a fair achievement
In the midst of the shift to the right in European politics - the victory of Marine Le-Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament and the first round of the French National Assembly, of the AfD in Germany, of the True Finns in Finland, etc. .-, the United Kingdom has bucked the trend.
It is true that the Labor Party is now more of a centrist party – in some respects indistinguishable from the Conservatives – under Starmer, but in perception, it is still somewhat left-wing.
The British still do not fully support the ethnic minority leader
By winning the traditional-minded Conservative leadership contest at his second attempt, after the implosion of Liz Truss' dispensation, Sunak led the Conservatives to their second major electoral defeat after the recent regional council elections, and announced that he would resign.
There is a perception, especially among Britons of South Asian descent, that the UK is not yet ready for an ethnic minority leader, beyond a certain level.
Humza Yousaf's brief stint as First Minister of Scotland is another recent example.
Presiding over a decade or more of economic stagnation and social neglect – from Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity program and the implications of Brexit – also led to the result.
Meanwhile, the Labor Party, reeling from a series of defeats after its own 13 years in power and a pronounced leftward tilt under Jeremy Corbyn, was reformed and revitalized under the government's former law officer, Sir Keir Starmer, to deliver a compelling program and successful outreach. .
It won 412 seats, just a shade shy of the 419 won by Tony Blair in 1997 to end 18 years of Conservative rule, but equal to its haul in 2001.
Time will show whether the result was actually a Labor victory or a Conservative defeat, although it must be borne in mind that hatred for the current situation and enthusiasm for the available alternative are not on a par.
It also remains to be seen how the ruling Labor Party will fare, but the course and results of the election throw up certain instructive points, although it is debatable whether they are long-term in nature or linked to this particular election cycle.
The economic situation and standard of living remain a primary public concern
The Conservatives presided over more than a decade of economic morass in which not only did incomes remain stagnant amid rising inflation, leading to falling living standards, but productivity also declined.
It is true that the consequences of Covid were a challenge for all governments, but Cameron's austerity program and the reduction in social spending that it implied, and then Brexit, were options. By the time Sunak promised the country was getting better, the damage had already been done.
Power may (or may not) corrupt, but long periods are 'blind'
The course of British political history over the past four and a half decades is instructive. Of these 45 years, the Conservatives were in power for 32 years: in two consecutive stretches of 18 years (1979-1997) under Margaret Thatcher and John Major and 14 years (2010-24) under Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Sunak, against 13 of the Labor Party (1997-2010) under Blair and Gordon Brown.
Complacency and contempt for public perception clearly set in, as admitted by a number of senior Conservative leaders, many of whom lost their seats, who had distanced themselves from the people and failed to respect or respond to concerns.
Don't imitate far-right populists
This is particularly applicable to the Conservatives, who have, in recent years, moved increasingly to the right, in an attempt to outflank the UK Brexit/Reform Party on issues such as EU membership and immigration, while Suella Braverman.
It brought them no appreciable benefits, but it hurt them when the votes swung towards Nigel Farage's Reform Party, which may have won only 4 seats but outnumbered them by dozens. Conservatives learned too late that if you put a populist party in the spotlight trying to hijack their platform, what's to stop people from voting for the real party?
Europe's right turn is not a fair achievement
In the midst of the shift to the right in European politics - the victory of Marine Le-Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament and the first round of the French National Assembly, of the AfD in Germany, of the True Finns in Finland, etc. .-, the United Kingdom has bucked the trend.
It is true that the Labor Party is now more of a centrist party – in some respects indistinguishable from the Conservatives – under Starmer, but in perception, it is still somewhat left-wing.
The British still do not fully support the ethnic minority leader
By winning the traditional-minded Conservative leadership contest at his second attempt, after the implosion of Liz Truss' dispensation, Sunak led the Conservatives to their second major electoral defeat after the recent regional council elections, and announced that he would resign.
There is a perception, especially among Britons of South Asian descent, that the UK is not yet ready for an ethnic minority leader, beyond a certain level.
Humza Yousaf's brief stint as First Minister of Scotland is another recent example.
