by LUKE MONTGOMERY ZUNGA
JOHANNESBURG – SIR Keir Rodney Starmer of the Labour Party won a landslide victory in the United Kingdom (UK) elections.
British Prime Minister, Keir Rodney Starmer
The Labour party won 412 of the 650 constituencies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, against the outgoing Conservative Party, which retained 121 seats, amid a 60% voter turnout.
To win past the post a party in the UK has to garner 326 constituencies or members of parliament, which Sir Starmer cleared despite a 33% popular vote.
A Right Party is one against socialism or social democracy and has attributes of military domination, and its extremes are fascists.
A Left Party is for the poor and embraces socialism, workers’ rights, taxing the rich to cater for the poor and the extremes are communists.
A centre right party looks after the interests of the rich, purism, conservatism, small government and can be administratively boring as Rishi Sunak was accused of. The centre left is populist, leans towards social democracy, promises the poor, workers as well as pushing the rich to pay more taxes.
The centre infuses both. South Africa is centre left with its minimum wage policy, social grants system, social Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing, free healthcare and free education for the poor but leans to the right, as with the Democratic Alliance (DA), for failing to support startups and or protecting the rich and elitists.
The DA is centre left.
Sir Keir Stamer, who was knighted for his legal prosecutorial career, moved the Labour Party to the centre left.
The impact is that he is likely to maintain a strong relationship with the United States (US) politico and to tone down aggressive support for Ukraine and reduction of hostilities with Russia.
Europe is at war with itself, while the pundits for the war are in the US, pushing a narrow notion of freedom.
What drove his victory was rising inflation and cost of living in the UK, which were a result of the Ukrainian war and sanctions on Russia which raised the cost of energy on households as Russian oil and gas were placed under American and European Union (EU) sanctions.
A reduction of hostilities with Russia benefits the UK and Europe as a whole. He is likely to push for a negotiated settlement with Russia.
The Rwandan migrant deal could be reviewed and a relook at migration into Britain. As to Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Sir Starmer, who is atheist, is likely to be influenced by his Jewish wife, but is likely to tone down the fervency of Joe Biden rhetorical support for Israel.
This would be a departure from the outgoing Rishi Sunak, who had no mettle of his own on the issues of Russian war and Palestinian-Israeli question.
Sunak brought in former Prime Minister David Cameron to bolster his profile. He finally accepted defeat and stepped down as Torrie leader.
The Conservatives or Tories had a 14-year stint from David Willian Donald Cameron, Therasa May, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Elizabeth Mary Truss, with her 50 day reign and Rishi Sunak succeeding her.
The rapid changes in leadership dropped effective delivery.
In Europe more centre left parties, not far right parties as some commenters say, are winning, as the world awaits the results of French elections in which Marine Le Pen won the first round against sitting President Emmanuel Macron.
A win by Donald Trump against Biden could tip Europe to endear peace with Russia.
President Joe Biden feels no pain for Ukrainians and the impact on Europe on the devastating cost of living, which shifts European politics towards the left. For example, Hungary has engaged Russia in the Ukrainian war.
Veteran military forces do not see Ukraine winning despite American support. Russia is far too strong for Europe, and a conflict with NATO would be a disaster for Europe. The risk of broader European war rises with each day the war rages.
As to Africa, changes in British leadership are not likely to reward Africa. However, this could tone down the hostilities in South Africa and other African states who criticized the handling of Israeli aggressive and collective punishment on Palestinians, which could benefit South Africa.
In particular the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) could be strengthened.
The end of conflict will see reduction of food and oil prices to benefit Africa.
NB: Luke Montgomery Zunga is a socio-economic and political commentator.
– CAJ News
