Elections set to become meaningless in the 'Cradle of Democracy'

A snap general election looks all but inevitable as MPs are set to vote today to delay Brexit by three months to January 31, 2020.   

This follows a momentous day at the House of Commons yesterday where MPs took control of the parliamentary agenda by enabling the House to introduce legislation.

This is a major departure from the norm as in the British system it is the executive that proposes new laws not the legislature.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given a firm indication that in the event of a Brexit delay he will table a motion under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 to trigger a snap general election.

Johnson’s plan is to hold an election on October 15, two days before a crucial European Union summit in Brussels.

But it is not going to be plain sailing for the PM as the Labour party is set to oppose his plans.

Although Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, told a rally in Salford on September 02, that he is “ready” for a snap general election, crucially he did not elaborate on the conditions under which such an election could take place.

Labour’s shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer, has filled in the gaps in his interview with BBC Radio 4, by clearly stating that Labour wants a general election “on its terms not Boris Johnson’s terms”.

Labour’s position is forming around the principle that a bill taking no-deal Brexit “off the table” must be passed before the party votes for a snap general election.

Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, a sitting government must secure the backing of at least two-thirds of the House of Commons’ 650 MPs before a general election can be called outside of the fixed five-year terms.

But the key question at this juncture revolves around the utility of a snap general election, and specifically, whether an election can break the deadlock in British politics.

Even if Johnson does not follow through with his threat to withdraw the parliamentary whip from the rebellious 21 MPs, and allows them to stand as Conservative candidates in the election, he is unlikely to win an outright victory.

Indeed, the most likely outcome appears to be a hung parliament, which will not only further complicate the Brexit issue, but will throw broader domestic and foreign policy issues into disarray as well.

A hung parliament, coupled with the incendiary tensions surrounding Brexit, may set the stage for serious political instability, possibly triggering yet another general election in 2020.

Thus, Britain which often models itself as the “cradle of democracy”, risks turning the whole concept of a general election into a farce.

Five years ago, the Irish writer and broadcaster, Richard Seymour, wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian (September 29, 2014) arguing that Westminster is seen by “many as an occupying power”.  

In the light of the Brexit fiasco, and the British political establishment’s inability to break the deadlock, the depiction of the British political class as an “occupying power” no longer seems so far-fetched.  

By Rupert Cansell, Investigative Journalist    

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk