The Bell Tolls for Boris Johnson
Across the pond, Boris Johnson has resigned from the position of prime minister after having won the position in the 2019 UK elections.
This resignation comes after Prime Minister Johnson oversaw the worst response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western Europe, a soaring cost-of-living crisis, and his own personal scandal, Partygate.
Long story short, Johnson broke his own lockdown rules by having quite raucous parties at the Number 10 offices (think of Number 10 like the White House in the UK).
He may not have been responsible for the inflation that the UK is experiencing, but he is responsible for the massive losses endured in the UK from a disastrous COVID-19 policy, he exhibited reckless behavior when most of the UK was locked down, and, worst of all, Johnson played an essential role in getting the UK to vote for Brexit.
Ironically, in an attempt to “strengthen” the United Kingdom, Brexit may end up breaking it.
Background
The United Kingdom has a population of just over 67 million people.The UK is four different countries in a union: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
By both area and population, England is the largest country of the UK, with just under 56 million people and 50,000 square miles. Scotland has a population of 5.5 million people and comes in at 30,000 square miles. Wales has a population of around 3.2 million people and is just over 8,000 miles. In both population and size, Northern Ireland is the smallest country in the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 1.9 million people and just under 5,500 miles.
In terms of demographics, the United Kingdom is overwhelmingly white, with well over 85 percent of the population white, though that number has been changing as of late. That being said, racial concepts may play differently in the United Kingdom thanks to England’s history in Ireland, Scotland, and, to a lesser extent, Wales.
A few other political parties exist within the UK that are essential to know about: the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, or SNP. The Liberal Democrats are made up of largely middle-class professionals who are what we would consider social liberals who value a free-market approach. The SNP is a center-left party based solely in Scotland whose platform is one of what we would call liberal nationalism. The SNP is the party of government in Scotland and the largest party in Scotland. Their longest-term goal is independence for Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, the political parties can be divided into nationalist parties and unionist parties. Nationalist parties favor reunification with Ireland proper, while unionist parties favor the status quo of being part of the United Kingdom. The largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland is called Sinn Féin, a Democratic Socialist party with a questionable past of supporting terrorism during the Troubles.
Though to be fair, the unionists also have quite dirty hands from the Troubles.
The largest unionist party in Northern Ireland is called the Democratic Unionist Party, a right-wing party that supported Brexit.
It must be noted, however, that Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU by around 10 points.
Keep in mind that politics inside the United Kingdom is not as racially polarized as it is in the United States. It exists to a degree, but not to the extent it does here.
Brexit happened in the year when so many nightmares began—2016.
Then Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron took a reckless gamble by indulging the extremist wing of the Conservative Party by allowing a Brexit referendum. After this mess, Conservative MP Theresa May took over as prime minister. Thanks in part to the mess that Brexit created and looking to strengthen her negotiating hand, she called a snap election. Instead, her hand was destabilized by a weaker-than-expected election result in which the Conservatives lost thirteen seats. Following a legislative mess, Prime Minister May was replaced by her members with Boris Johnson, one of the chief architects of the Brexit disaster.
Thanks to mind-numbingly-stupid decision-making from then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (basically the UK version of Bernie Sanders), a serious anti-Semitism problem inside Labour, and a split in the Labour coalition over Brexit, Labour went on to have one of the worst nights in its history.
This allowed then Prime Minister Boris Johnson to lead one of the most appalling responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, rivaled only by the American response under Donald Trump.
In addition, Johnson’s behavior during the Partygate scandal severely damaged the Conservatives inside the UK, especially during local elections in 2022. While the UK was in lockdown, Johnson and his staff had rowdy parties inside his office with lots of drinking and socializing at close quarters (no, that is not a sexual euphemism). The cleaning staff was treated poorly during these parties and were made to clean up the messes.
Like much of the UK’s former colonies, the country is facing significant inflation, or what the British call a cost-of-living crisis.
That was the date that the United Kingdom, by a slim margin, voted to exit the European Union, a decision that has had disastrous effects on the UK and may even threaten its survival.
Ever since Brexit, pro-independence parties in Scotland and Northern Ireland have gained unprecedented ground. The elevation of Boris Johnson to the position of prime minister only made independence in these countries look more appealing.
But with the fall of Boris Johnson, the SNP and nationalists in Northern Ireland may end up losing momentum. Though it must be made clear that Boris Johnson only exacerbated tensions in Northern Ireland and Scotland, he did not invent them out of whole cloth.
I would advise voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland to consider seriously if breaking away from the United Kingdom is worth it. Their grievances are very real, so I am sympathetic to those wishing to make Scotland independent and to make Northern Ireland part of Ireland proper, but a decision this big must be carefully thought through. Look to the results of Brexit if you need proof.
By both area and population, England is the largest country of the UK, with just under 56 million people and 50,000 square miles. Scotland has a population of 5.5 million people and comes in at 30,000 square miles. Wales has a population of around 3.2 million people and is just over 8,000 miles. In both population and size, Northern Ireland is the smallest country in the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 1.9 million people and just under 5,500 miles.
In terms of demographics, the United Kingdom is overwhelmingly white, with well over 85 percent of the population white, though that number has been changing as of late. That being said, racial concepts may play differently in the United Kingdom thanks to England’s history in Ireland, Scotland, and, to a lesser extent, Wales.
Politics inside the UK
The two biggest political parties in the United Kingdom are the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, otherwise known as the Tories. Think of the Labour Party as the Democrats and the Conservative Party as the Republicans. With the caveat that as bad as the Tories maybe, they are nowhere near as bad as the Republicans.A few other political parties exist within the UK that are essential to know about: the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, or SNP. The Liberal Democrats are made up of largely middle-class professionals who are what we would consider social liberals who value a free-market approach. The SNP is a center-left party based solely in Scotland whose platform is one of what we would call liberal nationalism. The SNP is the party of government in Scotland and the largest party in Scotland. Their longest-term goal is independence for Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, the political parties can be divided into nationalist parties and unionist parties. Nationalist parties favor reunification with Ireland proper, while unionist parties favor the status quo of being part of the United Kingdom. The largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland is called Sinn Féin, a Democratic Socialist party with a questionable past of supporting terrorism during the Troubles.
Though to be fair, the unionists also have quite dirty hands from the Troubles.
The largest unionist party in Northern Ireland is called the Democratic Unionist Party, a right-wing party that supported Brexit.
It must be noted, however, that Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU by around 10 points.
Keep in mind that politics inside the United Kingdom is not as racially polarized as it is in the United States. It exists to a degree, but not to the extent it does here.
Brexit happened in the year when so many nightmares began—2016.
Then Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron took a reckless gamble by indulging the extremist wing of the Conservative Party by allowing a Brexit referendum. After this mess, Conservative MP Theresa May took over as prime minister. Thanks in part to the mess that Brexit created and looking to strengthen her negotiating hand, she called a snap election. Instead, her hand was destabilized by a weaker-than-expected election result in which the Conservatives lost thirteen seats. Following a legislative mess, Prime Minister May was replaced by her members with Boris Johnson, one of the chief architects of the Brexit disaster.
Thanks to mind-numbingly-stupid decision-making from then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (basically the UK version of Bernie Sanders), a serious anti-Semitism problem inside Labour, and a split in the Labour coalition over Brexit, Labour went on to have one of the worst nights in its history.
This allowed then Prime Minister Boris Johnson to lead one of the most appalling responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, rivaled only by the American response under Donald Trump.
In addition, Johnson’s behavior during the Partygate scandal severely damaged the Conservatives inside the UK, especially during local elections in 2022. While the UK was in lockdown, Johnson and his staff had rowdy parties inside his office with lots of drinking and socializing at close quarters (no, that is not a sexual euphemism). The cleaning staff was treated poorly during these parties and were made to clean up the messes.
Like much of the UK’s former colonies, the country is facing significant inflation, or what the British call a cost-of-living crisis.
Biases
I think that Boris Johnson’s influence has been incredibly malign. Before November 9, 2016, there was a date just as important in which he played an essential role. It had everything that the infamous November date had: baseless rural grievances, racism, and interference from the Russian savages—June 23, 2016.That was the date that the United Kingdom, by a slim margin, voted to exit the European Union, a decision that has had disastrous effects on the UK and may even threaten its survival.
Ever since Brexit, pro-independence parties in Scotland and Northern Ireland have gained unprecedented ground. The elevation of Boris Johnson to the position of prime minister only made independence in these countries look more appealing.
But with the fall of Boris Johnson, the SNP and nationalists in Northern Ireland may end up losing momentum. Though it must be made clear that Boris Johnson only exacerbated tensions in Northern Ireland and Scotland, he did not invent them out of whole cloth.
I would advise voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland to consider seriously if breaking away from the United Kingdom is worth it. Their grievances are very real, so I am sympathetic to those wishing to make Scotland independent and to make Northern Ireland part of Ireland proper, but a decision this big must be carefully thought through. Look to the results of Brexit if you need proof.
Lessons
It is very difficult to hold a coalition once a common enemy has been defeated.In this context, that coalition was to defeat Labour MP Jeremey Corbyn, who led Labour to some of its worst election outcomes in the history of the United Kingdom. He was consistently more than 30 points underwater and was even unpopular in London, a Labour stronghold in England.
Once Labour was decimated, Johnson had to actually govern, something for which he was drastically unprepared.
But there is a silver lining to this besides Johnson losing power. A political party held one of its own accountable, even if it was for purely pragmatic reasons (it appears the Tories judged Boris Johnson to be an electoral liability).
The biggest lesson here is that it is foolish to rely on your opponents to do all the work through their own stupidity. Once Labour and the rest of the opposition parties got their act together (in this context, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party), Johnson’s own weaknesses began to inflict heavy losses on the Tories at the local level.
Another important lesson is that it is important to think things through carefully. The Brexit vote was about as wise as electing Trump in 2016. Now the UK is facing steeper inflation, is having trouble getting medicine and food, and is significantly poorer after Brexit.
This crisis is prompting some in other parts of the United Kingdom to wonder if the union is a sinking ship off of which they must escape. Time will tell if they are right.
Stay frosty, everyone.
Once Labour was decimated, Johnson had to actually govern, something for which he was drastically unprepared.
But there is a silver lining to this besides Johnson losing power. A political party held one of its own accountable, even if it was for purely pragmatic reasons (it appears the Tories judged Boris Johnson to be an electoral liability).
The biggest lesson here is that it is foolish to rely on your opponents to do all the work through their own stupidity. Once Labour and the rest of the opposition parties got their act together (in this context, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party), Johnson’s own weaknesses began to inflict heavy losses on the Tories at the local level.
Another important lesson is that it is important to think things through carefully. The Brexit vote was about as wise as electing Trump in 2016. Now the UK is facing steeper inflation, is having trouble getting medicine and food, and is significantly poorer after Brexit.
This crisis is prompting some in other parts of the United Kingdom to wonder if the union is a sinking ship off of which they must escape. Time will tell if they are right.
Stay frosty, everyone.