UK Political Parties

The election of a new leader for the Tory Party the outcome of which is due to be announced on Monday next week, is a good time for reflection on political parties,  their current  ideas and views.

Interestingly, before the Covid -19 outbreak Jeremy Corbyn's (Labour) expressed wish to increase government spending by huge amounts probably led to his downfall. Yet of course during the Covid-19 outbreak, government spending rocketed to higher levels than even Jeremy Corbyn apparently had had in mind.

Vast increases in government spending during a once in a lifetime pandemic are of course apt and understandable given the risks to life and health. That pandemic seems to have abated yet the Tories' increases in taxes continue, unless matters change next week on which see further below.

Then the Russians invaded Ukraine and escalated the cold-war. This led to Boris Johnson sending arms to support President Zelenskyy's defences,  to which which the USA stepped up to the plate and more; some other European countries are now also following.

Nothing really like those  direct costs of the unpredicted Russian war  had been experienced in the UK since WWII.

The indirect costs of the Russian war, began to mount and the latest Russian announcement on closing down altogether, its Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany is causing gas prices in England and Europe to increase sharply.

The election of a new Tory leader is best considered with the above information to mind. 

Liz Truss is the  expected winner and   should therefore become the nation's new prime minister next week. If so good luck to her and us, as we will all need that. 

However, looked at as a objectively as possible, I wonder if Conservative party  as I knew it, now really exists?

Urgent reforms are needed to the NHS to make it more efficient and affordable for the nation even if such reforms include encouraging employers to fund health insurance to assist with such matters as for example individuals paying for visits to GPs and hospitals as they do in the Irish Republic. The UK armed forces need boosting as does the building of new housing and mini Rolls Royce nuclear power stations.

Whether the government even under the new PM will encourage many of the above to proceed is currently an open question but my view is that in this country the Conservative Party as I knew it as a young man, exists no longer though the indication is that Liz Truss will reduce income and corporation taxes, which possible reduction the media constantly object to and complain about. Such tax reductions if put into effect, may begin to restore the Tories to their right of centre political position.

The  rise and rise of universal benefits despite the huge number of job vacancies, illustrates for me at least, that this country currently enjoys, if that is the right word, a  lefty socialist party under Sir Keir Starmer, a slightly less lefty  Lib Dem socialist party under Sir Ed Davey, an hugely lefty Scots Nationalist Party,  Sinn Fein the Irish national socialist type party in Northern Ireland and now a slightly lefty Tory party under its new leader whoever s/he will be. 

Still many  still seem to wish to live in the UK and I note that even in New York, where the London congestion charge introduced for London by left wing Ken Livingstone, was criticised, there is now talk of introducing such a charge so perhaps what goes round comes round, applies to politics political parties  and government  at least in relatively free societies, also.