A Seismic Shift

Peter Mandelson typifies Labour's arrogance with assertions like "the working class have nowhere else to go".

In case you missed it, last week, two seismic shifts rattled British politics. This jolting of the UK's tectonic plates could have profound consequences. And as I alluded to in an earlier blog, Hong Kong will feel the ripple effects. Anyone heading that way needs to understand significant changes are coming that may see the ‘united kingdom’ fragment.

First, the Scottish National Party won a decisive victory in the Scottish Parliamentary elections. While Nicola Sturgeon failed to get a majority by one vote, her alliance with the Green Party means she remains First Minister. In no time, she pledged to press ahead with plans for a second independence referendum.

For Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this is terrible news, because as Sturgeon asserts, "there is no justification to deny a referendum". A constitutional battle now looms that may make Brexit look like a picnic.

To head off Sturgeon, Boris called for a Covid-recovery summit with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the process, he inadvertently signalled he's a leader only in England. Thus, is drawn a de-facto line of separation between the nations to reinforce Sturgeon's position. The optics don't look good. How long Boris can deflect the Scottish question is anyone's guess.

The second event may give Boris some comfort. The opposition Labour Party has imploded. The Hartlepool loss is a stark confirmation that the working class has made the cultural break from routinely voting Labour. This affirms that the 2019 general election result wasn't a blip.

I dare say that in regular times Hartlepool should be an easy win for Labour. As a working-class area, you'd expect them to walk it. But times have changed, although Labour doesn't appear to have recognised that.

The election results paint a picture of a Labour rout except in Wales and London. And Labour only has itself to blame. So while the left and right of the party are busy throwing bitter attacks at each other, the public look on with despair at this ideological ranting.

The dominant narrative is that a London-based bourgeoisie, with the support of brigades of woke social media warriors, has captured the party. Although, in truth, Labour's disconnect from the working class began some time ago under Tony Blair.

​Often forgotten is that New Labour lost 1.5 million votes in the North of England between 1997 and 2010. That process gathered pace in recent years under the leadership of Corbyn and Starmer.

There is plenty of evidence that a metropolitan elite who dominate the Labour party — most of whom never had 'dirty hands' jobs — sneer at ordinary folks. In 1979, 37 per cent of Labour MPs came from a manual work background. By 2015, that number dropped to 7 per cent.

In patronising and hectoring tones, working peoples concerns faced rejection by Labour intellectuals. The only conclusion to draw is that Labour is now so out of contact with its grassroots that its institutionally incapable of understanding why it keeps losing elections.

Peter Mandelson typifies Labour's arrogance with assertions like "the working class have nowhere else to go". In this statement, he affirmed George Orwell's position decades ago that socialists don't support the working class; instead, they hate the rich. By the way, this is the same Peter Mandelson who took holidays with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. What a working class hero!

Then in 2016, working-class people smelled a rat when Labour vilified them as misled thickos and xenophobic for supporting Brexit. Remember Gillian Duffy. Next up is leading Labour figure Emily Thornberry's sneering at a working-class household flying the English flag. Thornberry is well known for her hypocrisy, having sent her kids to an elite school despite the party opposing such schools.

In contrast, the Tories took the people's vote for Brexit seriously. For the most part, it wasn't the posh boys of the Tory Party who looked down with condescension on working people.

To sum it all up, losing Labour council leader Chris Emmas-Williams, told the Derby Telegraph on Friday, "It's been a disastrous day for us. The voters have let us down. I hope they don't live to regret it."

Instead of capitulating, the working class have now drawn up a seat to watch. They'll amuse themselves as Labour engages in another round of the competitive victimhood based on intersectional nonsense. Labour has forgotten that people aspire to get on in life, moving beyond dependency and patronising help. Plus, they ask, how is the common good served only in pandering to minority interests?

Yes, it's correct to feel compassion for victims of whatever origin, but don't always defer to them. If status as a victim is self-inflicted, deferring entrenches that victimhood.

After all, care must focus on the genuinely needy and sick. Moreover, because someone is a victim or a minority doesn't excuse poor or unethical behaviour we wouldn't accept from the majority.

Lastly, accept no guilt for something you are not responsible for. Above all, visiting the father's sins on the son is an outrage. Accordingly, the toppling of statues, taking the knee and calling for reparations — something Starmer supported — isn't a vote winner.

Instead of insulting the voters, Labour must acknowledge the common decency of working-class voters and their pride. Also, they aspire to a better life instead of playing a bit part in Labour's game of identity politics, as the people who need looking after.

So with Boris as the Prime Minister of England, how does he stop Scottish independence? Without a doubt, that's the big question. Meanwhile, I suspect that Labour will wander the political wilderness, ranting from the fringes and fighting each other.

They may hold sway in London and Wales but no longer command the heartlands that gave them power. It's profoundly sad to see this once great party brought to its knees by taking the knee at the altar of virtue signalling.

Further, the removal of an effective opposition gives free rein to blundering Boris. Is that ideal? On Scotland, Boris should have a brave-heart, call wee Nicole's bluff and settle the matter.