Unfortunately, the western world is currently in a state of political upheaval, with conservatism under threat, and hitting back at anything and everyone it can paint as a target.
In the US, broadening social openness and awareness - which has led to improved civil rights for the LGBT community, closer cross-cultural integration, questioning of gun laws, distrust of those in power and the realisation that perhaps religion is not the sole source of morality in the world - has drastically reduced the number of 'enemies' conservatives can claim to be the nation's shield against. As a result, they've gotten even more hard-line in their actions and rhetoric, ignoring increasing calls from all sides for stricter gun-control, denying (against all evidence) their unending issue with institutionalised racism and allowing state laws created specifically to restrict the rights of certain pockets of their citizenry. They've even gone so far as to promote privileged, extremist halfwit Donald "If I wave my tiny hands enough, people might mistake my ignorance for passion" Trump (nay, Drumpf) as leader of the GOP.
Then again, ineffectual and self-defeating as it may be, at least the US has a government. Here in the UK, our PM risked our country's economic stability, generational prospects and global standing on a referendum he thought would secure his office, but managed to lose to a gibbering buffoon and his entourage of racists, sycophants and ignoramuses.
So he quit.
The resultant leadership contest was set to be between Theresa May - a former equalities minister who changed her mind on gay adoption when it suited her career, supported the invasions of Iraq and Syria, backed Trident renewal, fox hunting, tuition fee increases, welfare caps and cuts to low-income households, a tax on households with 'extra' rooms (regardless of whether that room is for carers, or specialised equipment for the severely disabled) and scrapping the Human Rights Act, and voted against environmental controls for fracking (including a report to determine how harmful it might be) and exempting cancer sufferers from a rule that only allows the claiming of certain benefits for 365 days - and Boris Johnson; the aforementioned buffoon.
However, that contest never took place, and May instead had to fight off a delusional prat - already sacked once for handing a mate tax-payer money for a job that didn't exist - who thought keeping out Johnny foreigner was more important than being a part of the single market (dumped when no-one voted for him), a homophobe who 'totally, totally' wasn't really (quit when no-one voted for him), whatever this is (quit, presumably, when he caught himself in a mirror), and some batty woman who apparently wasn't aware that, when you say something to a journalist, they're liable to share it with other people (quit when she found out).
Things are even worse across the aisle, with the Labour Parliamentary Party deciding it's more interested in tearing itself apart than mounting any kind of opposition. A large bulk of the Labour front-bench quit in protest of a leader (elected by an overwhelming majority of party faithful) who voted against the invasions of Iraq and Syria, keeps his parliamentary spending to a minimum (I understand he once claimed for a sandwich) and believes there are better things to spend £200,000,000,000 on than a shiny new end-of-the-world delivery system.
If there's one thing that makes politicians nervous, it's one of their own having principles.
Standing against him is Angela Eagle. In brief:
- Stood for Deputy PM under Gordon Brown (came 5th)
- For the invasion of Iraq
- For the increase in tuition fees
- For 90 day detentions without charge
- For Trident renewal
- For airstrikes on Syria
- Against the investigation into the Iraq war
- Abstained when the Tories proposed £12bn welfare cuts
- Abstained when the Tories proposed forcing the unemployed to do unpaid work
In other words, Theresa May without a spine.
Her leadership bid didn't exactly get off to a shining start when it was revealed her campaign manager had set-up her leadership website before the EU referendum, despite citing Corbyn's supposed inability to convince the Labour masses to vote Remain as her reason for quitting.
Things went downhill from there when, during the announcement of Eagle's leadership bid, Andrea Leadsom quit the Tory race, effectively making Theresa May the new PM. By the time poor little Angela got to the Q&A section, any journalist that might've had a Q was hightailing it across London for quotes from someone who suddenly mattered.
Her cloudy day appeared to have a slight shimmer at the edges when reactions and comments went through the roof on her Twitter and Facebook posts, but a closer glance revealed the majority of those reactions were HAHA! accompanied by a slew of #VoteCorbyn.
As things stand, Corbyn's opponents are desperately trying to skew Labour's own rules to suggest he needs the backing of 50 MPs to challenge for the leadership - "Where there is no vacancy nominations may be sought by potential challengers... In this case any nomination must be supported by 20% of the combined Commons members of the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] and members of the EPLP [European Parliamentary Labour Party]. Nominations not attaining this threshold shall be null and void." - not noticing, it seems, that the post is not vacant, Corbyn's still leader, and is therefore the challenged, not a challenger.
It also goes without saying that those party faithful who put Corbyn in there in the first place, aren't exactly overjoyed at attempts to oust him.
The most concerning thing about all this is - despite repeated assertions that bringing forward the General Election would just add to the uncertainty already rocking the country - the Tories are now perfectly poised to hold a snap election. Not only would they effectively be running unopposed, May could claim the easy victory as confirmation of her Premiership, and a mandate to drag the UK kicking and screaming out of the EU how ever she sees fit. Not to mention lumbering us with the Tories until at least 2022 (instead of 2020).
Great plan, PLP. Great plan...
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