The United Kingdom is a very peculiar country. Although a monarchy, it has given rise to a constitution which in turn gave birth to the rule of law and advocated for individual freedoms and the rights of man. This is not an insignificant achievement for any Government. So far as the rights of man are concerned, it has taken time over the centuries to codify and secure many of those rights with significant legislation. Some of it remains through the common law, but most is validated through statute. As a result, one would think that this progression towards a civilised and free democratic society under the watchful eye of a monarch, would, on the whole, represent a liberal, outgoing and enlightened population; yet, it is apparent to me, that that is clearly not the case.
Since the dominance of Robert Walpole, generally regarded as the first Prime Minister, in 1721, who is classified as a Whig, there have been 20 Conservative Prime Ministers, 16 Whigs, 10 Tories, 6 Labour, 6 Liberal, 2 Scottish Unionists, 1 National Labour, 1 National Liberal and 1 Peelite. So far as the Whigs are concerned, they were a mixed bag of centrist liberals and more right leaning Liberal Unionists, which as Lady Bracknell says in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest in questioning Jack:
Lady Bracknell: ….What are your politics?
Jack: Well, I m afraid I really have none. I am a Liberal Unionist.
Lady Bracknell: Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us. Or come in the evening, at any rate.
Walpole was in office for over 20 years and the Whig party for over 62 years. For the next 64 years, the Government was led mainly by Tories with the odd Whig period. In 1834 the Conservative Party was founded out of the Tory Party, and a conservative government continued to rule for another 21 years.
In 1859 the Liberal Party was founded apparently as an alliance of Whigs, free trade-supporting Peelites and reformist Radicals. These factions all merged to become the Liberal Party. On the political spectrum the were a centre party and for the next 63 years they traded government with the Conservative party, their last Prime Minister in office being David Lloyd George. From 1922 to through to 1935 things were in flux. There was brief blip of the very first labour government under Ramsay MacDonald from 24 January 1924 to the 4th November 1924 when the Conservatives under Stanley Baldwin were in Government for the next 4 plus years years, From 1929, during the world depression there was a succession of National Governments, first under Labour for 6 years then from 1935 under Baldwin and Chamberlain until 1940 when Winston Churchill took the Office in May 1940 through to July 1945 when the second Labour Government under Clement Attlee took office. Churchill returned in 1951 and the Conservatives ruled for 13 years until Harold Wilson took office for Labour in 1964. Since then the Labour Party and the Conservative Party have traded governments. For the next 60 years the Labour Government has ruled for 22 of those years and the conservatives for 38. The longest conservative spell was for effectively 14 years between 2010 and 2024, during which time the country has become the most divided it has ever been.
Historically it would appear that the United Kingdom electors have chosen a centre to centre right leaning Government. For some obscure reason, in the last 10 years that electorate has moved further to the right rather than maintain that position of liberal unionism they clung to for so long in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. What is more extraordinary, is that as the 20th century evolved and with two massive world conflicts being dealt with, the country, still clinging to its hierarchical class ridden society, began to grow closer together. Indeed the upheaval of wars brought about collective national governments comprising all parties. With the cataclysm of the second world war it was the Labour Party that set to work to bring about a more cohesive and pluralist society with the Nationalisation of Coal and Health in 1946, the nationalisation of gas and electricity in 1947 and 1948 respectively. Oddly, the nationalisation of water did not occur until 1973 during a conservative administration under Edward Heath. All of this was thrown away by the Thatcher government during her 11 years in office followed by 6 years of John Major. An 18 year stint of Conservative government that began by championing the idea of free flow capitalism and privatisation to the maximum.
Privatisation created a number of very rich people as well as a growing number of poor people. We are lucky that the National Health Service survived at all. Its has been underfunded and allowed to fester despite the miracle that it has managed to keep the majority of our citizens alive and in reasonable health. It has its flaws but it would be an outrage were it to go the way of water, gas, electricity, rail and transport services, which provides only dividends for its stockholders and little else in the way of contributions to the taxpayer or the state. The failures of privatisation are painfully apparent. It has contributed to the depletions in council and affordable housing. The great mantra of owning your own home as not only been debunked, but it has caused even more difficulties in even being able to rent one. The costs of rail and the pollutions cause by horrific mismanagement of water services are also instances in point.
The legacy of the state pulling back, doing less, but seeking to control more is what we are left with. Hence the divisions. The nationalist and populist rhetoric has nothing to do with welfare, but everything to do with separation and isolation rather than co-operation and inclusion. It is becoming a grasping and judgemental populace with entrenched positions and prejudicial bigoted views.
Consider the billionaire who provides five million pounds to a dissembler and separatist just so he can have the freedom to scam and claim a parliamentary salary from the United Kingdom as well as a pension from a European Parliament he was once a member of, despite doing everything he could to dismantle it by spouting incredible lies and division. The hypocrisy is glaring and his venality is appalling; yet he leads a party that voters have given over their local authorities security to, which will also allow it to pillage local funds and create yet more hopeless divisions. The insanity, short sightedness and ignorance of this is extremely depressing. The one party that has a proven history of peoples welfare at heart is ignored because for some reason Keir Starmer isn’t likeable.
Just to remind you, 46 Conservative, Whigs and Tories and only 6 Labour Prime Minsters have been in Government. Without those 6 you would have no pension, no health, no housing, no care at all were it not for the efforts of those politicians and supporters of the labour party. What is not to like about what they have already accomplished? One man gets your back up and all you can articulate is “I don’t like him”. What is wrong with you? You would prefer to sell out to an idiot who shows off his socks to demonstrate patriotism, smokes and downs a pint? Is that your hero? The scammer who accepts 5 million pounds for not doing anything? “It’s because he likes me and wants to keep me safe. I don’t have to do anything for it”. Do You believe that?
I never quite thought the British voter was as ignorant as some of the populist American Trumpers one occasionally sees interviewed on TV; however, I stand, or rather, sit corrected. Celia tells me that most people have no idea or are completely ignorant of their own history and the achievements in social welfare that have occurred to make our lives better. If that is the case, what is being taught and what information is being made available. Is none of this available through AI? I suppose the danger of AI is thinking “Isn’t AI great, I don’t even have to learn anything, it will do it all for me”. So what program is voting for you? I guess, your right, you don’t need to know anything. What could I be thinking. Sorry to bother you.
If you have a problem with my view, do let me know.
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