By Ayesha Begum, Senior Editor
This article will delve deeper into some of the factors behind the staggering "victory" for Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party in the December 2019 general election.
Although there may be some difference in opinion as to why this election saw a staggering ‘victory’ for the Conservatives, many argue that Brexit was the polarising issue that saw the nation divided even further and many voters saw this not as an election, but as a second Brexit referendum. The media can be seen to play an extremely important and influential role in this and what this result means for some Britons can lead to fear and self-hatred. This article will delve deeper into some of these factors.
The ‘B’ word
‘Get Brexit done’ - a simple message targeted towards a simple audience that was easy to digest and succeeded; a simple audience meaning those that voted for the Conservative Party because they did not do their own research, solely read sensationalist tabloid headlines during the campaigning period, and only appeared to vote for the Conservative Party after expressing the fact that they ‘didn’t like’ the leader of the opposition. This is quite humorous in itself as this election was not merely some throw-away reality television show where one can vote off least favourites based on personalities and disregard actual policies and actual plans. Many who voted for the Conservatives were those only seeking the short term benefits of getting Brexit ‘done’ and not looking past towards actual leadership and governing.
Regardless, Brexit was the driving force behind this election, which, of course, makes a lot of sense considering this is what the political scene is occupied by for the majority of the time. However, is Brexit all there is to UK politics nowadays? It can seem like a rushed and unprepared attempt for a catchy slogan, as what actually happens once Brexit ‘gets done’? To some, it seems somewhat ludicrous that the majority of the electorate have decided to prioritise this exodus instead of the things that truly need the government’s attention such as the staggering increase in the use of food banks and general widespread austerity, threats of a no longer free-at-the-point-of-use NHS, and uniting the country back together.
One could say that division and opposition drove this election forward in favour of the Conservative party. With all this talk of supposedly being a ‘One Nation Conservative’ party, it’s quite ironic that the country truly has been split into two separate nations by the Conservative government, whether it be between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, the rich and the average, or the Brexiteers and the remainers. Again, it baffles spectators deemed too young to vote to see the exact kind of people the leader of the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson, discriminates against vote for the party and all the unaccounted-for remarks. It seems as though people may have perhaps been swayed by external forces such as the presence of media and the press.
Media bias
The use of media by all parties was at the forefront of this campaign in order to target atypical groups of people. The widespread nature of the media and being able to like and share posts has meant that parties can get out their messages to wider audiences, however, this hasn’t always been used for the better. Investigations led by the BBC report that 88% of Conservative adverts have been found to be misleading, compared to 0% of ads released by Labour. One cannot dispute facts, and this in itself sets a bleak tone for what the Conservative party can be capable of.
The common excuse I have personally seen and heard from people regarding why they did not vote for Labour is because they ‘don’t like’ Jeremy Corbyn. Of course, that’s not to say everyone acts in such a simplistic and superficial manner; this is in no way representative of the whole picture but it does raise questions.
Personally, I do ‘like’ Jeremy Corbyn and was absolutely devastated upon hearing the news of his exit because for me and many others, he was a beacon of hope for the youth, in particular, with promises of no tuition fees and a Green Industrial Revolution, ensuring that we actually had an Earth to call our home when we grow up. Whoever managed Labour’s and Jeremy Corbyn’s social media accounts excelled in being able to tap into popular culture and apply it to the campaign in order to present the party as a home for all, where everyone can have a bit of a laugh and everyone relates to each other. This particular application peaked during election day from the use of pop culture slang to a video of school children chanting ‘Labour’ from their classroom upon seeing Jeremy Corbyn exiting the polling station. To me, that shows that Labour is a great party that acts upon what they preach and that the leader is likeable. So what went wrong?
Again, from my own experiences and conversations, Corbyn appears be reduced to a crazed, old man who is anti-semitic. This completely disregards Corbyn’s entire political history.
Again, from my own experiences and conversations, Corbyn appears be reduced to a crazed, old man who is anti-semitic. This completely disregards Corbyn’s entire political history, from protesting against fascism and signing numerous motions condemning anti-semitism. There have been instances where anti-semitism has been recorded within the party and although it can be agreed on that Corbyn should have employed stricter sanctions for those members, Corbyn himself has not discriminated like this - Boris Johnson, on the other hand, has a lot to answer for.
Boris Johnson wrote that single mothers were raising a generation of “ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate children” in a 1995 article for The Spectator. Johnson called gay men “tank topped bum boys” in a 1998 Telegraph column. Johnson has described working class people as “drunk, criminal, aimless, feckless and hopeless”. Johnson has referred to black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”. Johnson has described Muslim women that wear niqabs to “bank robbers” and “letterboxes”.
Most of these were a long time ago and some may argue that the leader has changed alongside his views, however, his refusal to apologise speaks louder. Others may argue that these off-hand comments were comic relief. However, when islamaphobic incidents rise by 375% in the week after Johnson compared veiled Muslim women to “letterboxes”, many people would argue that perhaps it wasn’t all that lighthearted.
The ‘leftovers’
The fact that a sufficient proportion of the electorate voted for the Conservatives for them to gain a majority of seats in Parliament and willingly chose for Boris Johnson to retain his position as Prime Minister can seem frightening for those who were subject to comments he himself has made and members of the party have made.
It can be distressing knowing that such an overwhelming proportion of the population appear to disregard whole groups of people who are already discriminated against by large bodies such as the media; all of these voters appear to not mind that Boris Johnson and his colleagues are spurring hate towards their fellow British citizens whether its EU migrants being able to “treat the UK as if it’s part of their own country” for too long or claiming that those with learning disabilities should earn less as they “don’t understand money”.
A quick search on the internet will come up with half-hearted apologies from the respective MPs, however, these ideas have become deeply entrenched into common thought and have already begun to plant a seed of hatred and division. It is a wonder as to why the media did not hound Boris Johnson and other Tory MPs and demand for resignations but did force apologies out of opposition party leaders and MPs for things they have not said or done, again, highlighting that the media is a corrupt and corrupting force that was used in this election to enforce biased views.
It is deeply upsetting to know that the so-called leader and dominant political party of your country hates people ‘like you’ and such remarks have made it seem acceptable to be prejudiced and discriminatory. Such figures of authority should never abuse their power by creating divisions and social conflict.
This may seem a bit trivial, but, near the end of YouTuber Daniel Howell’s most recent video, he says something that I believe sums up how people, including myself, are beginning to feel regarding this new voting population:
“No one stood up for me [Howell] when it mattered the most. And that almost cost me everything. So if you see a woman being harrassed, a gay being threatened, someone muttering something racist, say something. Do something. Because if you’re silent, the victim will just think that you are against them too.”
Some may argue that feelings are ‘irrelevant’, however, if it weren’t for a few people having passionate feelings about wanting to change things, for better or for worse, this world of politics may not even exist.
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