Will the U.K. be O.K.?


By: Dylan Asher

Friday’s post-election papers made grim headlines for Theresa May. May’s wildcard decision in calling an early election spectacularly failed on Thursday June, 8th, as she lost her majority in parliament and was “demoted” to deal with a smaller party to stay in power.                 In the beginning of the week, crowds unwaveringly supported James Corbyn, Labour party prime minister Candidate. Which, rings evident now as Labour received more votes in this election than it did in 2001, 2005, 2010, or 2015. Which is interesting because going into this quick election, Labour party had unmitigated odds stacked against them. Now, with overwhelming support from the popular vote, Labour is the frontrunner for this election. Why? Young people. Similar to the presidential election in the U.S. and how young voters showed brute support for Clinton and the Democratic Party, young voters were Labour-or-bust.                 “Corbyn’s Labour party didn’t intimidate voters because it didn’t come from the wealthy billionaires. That’s what attracted me to it. I feel like Labour is more relatable to more statuses of people. But, more than that, it’s about morale. And many people believe Theresa May has none of that.” Said Savannah, waitress at Cereal Killer Café in Shoreditch, U.K. “For example, my good friend has boat loads of money and lives in high society and still has no interest in voting for May.”
There was a notable dichotomy in the streets of London. At least, from what I gathered. Upper crust elites and working class citizens were at obvious ends of the voting spectrum. To tie it back to the American election, however, this division isn’t as flagrantly argued. American voters were at just as much ends as Trump and Clinton were with one another. In the U.K. however, these arguments are not made public. Whereas, in November, you could throw a stone and hit two people arguing politics. Moreover, any comments I have heard that disagreed with a certain political party were somewhat diplomatic. Although, someone did call James Corbyna mutton-headed old mugwump.
                “I’m voting Labour because I don’t believe Theresa May has her wits about her when it comes to national security. Theresa May knows what it’s like to control National Security, but that doesn’t mean she did a good job. Corbyn can make strong and stable leadership decisions on behalf of everyone concerned about our safety in light of recent events.” Said James, U.K. citizen and faithful voter. “Theresa May got here through the lining of her supporter’s pockets.”


The Labour party definitely has a better representation of a broader group of citizens in the U.K. From working class, to blue collar, to the educated, all of these demographics and psychographics align their views with the views of the Labour Party.                 “I have to work” Said Charles, a construction worker. “I don’t have time to waste my vote on the Tories.” Which, honestly, is a valid reason to vote for the Labour party.

The Labour party definitely has a better representation of a broader group of citizens in the U.K. From working class, to blue collar, to the educated, all of these demographics and psychographics align their views with the views of the Labour Party.                 “I have to work” Said Charles, a construction worker. “I don’t have time to waste my vote on the Tories.” Which, honestly, is a valid reason to vote for the Labour party.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Queer Eye is Making Gay the new Black

Being a gay man is a very chic lifestyle nowadays. It's becoming very trendy to live your life as an out-and-proud male, but only if you're muscularly built, conventionally attractive, and adorn yourself with fashionable clothing. Queer Eye, the new re-imagined Netflix show, emphasizes this point, too. I really like the show because it's representation in the media and it's put queerness into perspectives for a newer and larger audience. I've seen "coming out" become a table topic in many families. After seeing the show, close friends of mine decided to take the next step in identifying their sexual orientation and came out to their families. These steps, while they might seem small to some, are huge milestones in the lives of queer individuals. This new show is so encouraging to see because it's airing a new identity that was stigmatized and shamed in the media not even 15 years ago. This introduction to a queer narrative shows that the gay agenda pr...
Read more

Ariana Grande Saved the Gays

4/20 is regarded as a national holiday for those that participate in the counterculture of marijuana. This beacon of light brings joy to a population of people. But, 4/20 was forever re-imagined when the Heiress of Pop Ariana Grande came for blood when she released her newest song "No Tears Left to Cry". On this day, in 2018, Ariana Grande became the next patron saint of homosexuality. Ariana Grande has always been an out-and-proud Queer activist. I remember when I was a younger gay, I sat close to the stage for Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman Tour and during the final performance of "Dangerous Woman", dazzling flames shot up from the back of the stage and Ariana in her pint-sized glory, pulled out a rainbow flag and catwalked down the stage, hitting every note like a knock-out punch. I was shaken. I could only imagine that this was the gays felt when the first rock at Stonewall was thrown. You could say I was floored. With the release of this single, dozens of...
Read more

Class and Race: An Intersection of Failings

Image
By Dylan Asher An example of punk counterculture from the museum of London In the case of the Grenfell Tower fire, it is clear who had the power and the privilege here, and it wasn’t the tenants. Rather, what happened is a part of a larger, more structured system of classism and inequality in general—and in housing in particular. It highlights a system in which the poor who are often, not always, people of color are pushed out of quality housing in favor of gentrifying—or regenerating a city to give it brighter, whiter, and more fiscally appealing audience. I wrote about the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower earlier on in a minor blog and how the tragedy consumed the entire neighborhood. That grief then outpoured into cities in greater U.K. where the burden of London’s failings weighed heavy on the hearts of many people. Districts like Barking, Dagenham, and Havering, however, feel experiences like these greater than districts like Westminster, for obvious reasons. Because, sim...
Read more