Vote for party based on when you want the next general election

Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn (Image: PoliticsHome.com)

Good golly, on Thursday 12th December, the UK has to endure yet another general election. When I started this blog shortly after the 2010 election, I could never have anticipated sitting here, analysing our fourth general election this decade. Has the British political scene ever been this turbulent, to ever want the face of Westminster change as often it is today? Yes, actually.

You don't have to look far back to see British politics divided enough for there to be four general elections in the space of ten years. The 1970s saw Edward Heath win the election for the Conservatives in 1970, then in February 1974, Labour formed a minority government under Harold Wilson, and gained ground when the country went to the polls just eight months later. The final election of that decade saw Margaret Thatcher grab the keys to 10 Downing Street, where she stayed for 11 years. We also had four elections in one decade in the 1920s and 50s, and we even had a staggering five general elections in the 1830s.

So, why do we have a general election now? It's simple really - Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, couldn't achieve what his predecessor, Theresa May wasn't able to do either; get their negotiated EU exit bill past Parliament. MPs refused to agree on anything and eventually, agreed it is time for a general election to try and break the division.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I don't want this election and much rather wait until 2022, when it would have taken place should Johnson not have called for an election now. I still stand by this. However, we are where we are, and we should treat this election as any other - a golden opportunity to vote for the MP who will best represent your current needs.

As you can imagine, each of the parties are going big in terms of what they want to offer the public. Labour has plans to nationalise everything in sight, the Tories attempt to defend their questionable records over the past nine-and-a-half years in power while pitching themselves as the party that will "get Brexit done", with the Liberal Democrats pledging do the direct opposite.

As the campaign starts to heat up, when I look at the options available, I can only see three parties to vote for if you want Parliament to last the full five year term; Labour, the Conservatives or the Green Party. Tactical voting is something I am personally uncomfortable with. In my eyes, by voting for the Lib Dems or the Brexit Party, I can only see another general election in a matter of months because they'll do what they want on Europe, and then run off. I can almost guarantee that the Brexit Party will do this as, well, should the UK leave the EU, what good will the party be with that name?

Green's Caroline Lucas with Jo Swinson (Image: inews.co.uk)

A big turnout of votes for the Lib Dems is something I worry about. They have a mix-and-match of candidates with a shared vision of stopping Brexit and being angry with the parties they defected from. They also have a leader in Jo Swinson who vies to be the next Prime Minister yet decide her party will not field candidates in every constituency because of a so-called Remain Alliance with the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, yet wishes not to form any coalitions in a result of a Hung Parliament. What sort of messages do these bring to those constituencies who have thousands of people wanting to have voted for them? It simply doesn't make sense.

What also doesn't make sense is the Brexit Party strategy. The party wants the UK to leave the EU regardless of its cost, despises Boris Johnson's Brexit deal yet at the same time, deciding not to field candidates where the Tories won in 2017. How can they endorse the Conservatives this way, considering many of the Tories over two years ago were staunch Remain voters, including Anna Soubry, now representing Change UK, Philip Hammond, Ken Clarke and Nicholas Soames, even if they aren't running in this election?

A vote for the two main parties (or the Greens) is, in my eyes, most sensible because at least they offer a vision beyond Europe, or at least choose not to define their campaign by it. Europe is a vital policy area, but there is life beyond the Brexit debate, regardless of what happens to it. Labour and the Tories are offering policies that are ambitious and forward looking, and the Greens want a second referendum and are willing work with other parties, likely Labour, to build on a future where the environment plays a central role.

A significant voting share for Plaid Cymru in Wales and SNP in Scotland will send a haunting message for Westminster. They rightly fear a national result which creates further uncertainty. In Northern Ireland, it'd be interesting to see how the DUP vote turns out, after their high profile agenda since 2017. The result there will be fascinating as hopefully, the outcome could result in holding Stormont to account, once they eventually wish to form a Parliament again.

Nicola Sturgeon of SNP (Image: The Scotsman)

I'm not a betting man, but if I was, I'd say this election has 'Hung Parliament' written all over it. Tory voters don't want Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, neither do Labour members want Jeremy Corbyn as leader any more. And I don't see any of the other parties gaining more than 50 seats. And I also don't see any alliances counting up to form a coalition government that will last a full term in Parliament. I genuinely hope I am proved wrong. I will be doing my bit in creating that certainty by putting an X next to Labour.

Now that may be a controversial decision to vote Labour, as it had been in 2017. But I cannot pretend I like the Conservatives' vision for the country beyond Brexit, considering there are so many areas where they haven't focused on properly because of their obsession to getting it right. Brexit isn't on top of Labour's agenda and actually by their strategy of a referendum between their version of an EU Exit deal and Remain will hopefully put the debate to bed, for the meantime. What they need to prove, however, is that the country can thrive under the party's current leadership so that those passionate Leave campaigners are happy and forget about Brexit all together. Will free fast-fibre broadband and major tax bills for large companies achieve this? I think they can, so long as these are carefully planned out, enabling the economy is balanced.

I do fear how Labour will do come 12th December. Many high-profile Labour supporters have come out saying that they will not be voting for the party due to their reported inaction to combatting anti-Semitism. To be frank, even once Corbyn steps aside as leader, I doubt they'll be flocking back to voting red in future elections. Even if Corbyn is the problem, only a poor turnout for Labour will get what they want, which is for him to step aside. He definitely won't be the strongest Prime Minister Labour will have, but I am backing the government who I think can take the country to where it gradually needs to be. It isn't perfect, and I have some concerns about its inevitably expensive nationalisation plans, but I cannot see myself putting an X next to anyone else.