Today is the day before the general election in the UK. Unless something — something really big and drastic — happens, or the opinion polls are completely and utterly wrong, Labour will be forming the next government. The only remaining uncertainty is the size of the majority for Labour in the House of Commons. The projections, which I take with more than a pinch of salt, suggest something between a very large and a monstrous majority. The Conservatives look, sound, and behave as though they have already been soundly beaten. Why Rishi Sunak decided to call the election at this juncture remains something of a mystery. Did he really think that he had the best chance of winning now, or has he calculated that the situation would be bleaker later in the year whoever is in power?
Drawing parallels from the past is always fraught with danger, since no two situations are exactly the same. I do not believe history repeats itself, but the temptation to seek similarities and echoes from the past is too great. It feels a bit like 1997 in some respects. The Conservatives have been in power for a long time, some of whom have been mired in scandal and sleaze, their competence for guiding the economy severely questioned, and with a prime minister who is — for lack of a better word — dull. People are fed up and want them out. On the other hand though, Labour is offering a change of government, not a transformation of the country, society, and economy. Keir Starmer is no Tony Blair, which is a good thing, according to many of my Labour-supporting friends and acquaintances, however there does not exist the kind of exuberance, excitement, and expectation that was palpable in 1997. Perhaps we live in another age from then in terms of political optimism, perhaps politics and society are more fragmented and fluid now, perhaps my glasses are rose-tinted because I was young and impressionable back in 1997, perhaps a competent government rather than a visionary one is needed.
To be honest, I haven’t followed the election campaign too closely. I would have done so previously, but I have lost interest. The football is on. The tennis is on. Above all, I feel overwhelmed and exhausted after the political events and fallouts over the past decade and have become numb and cynical. Will anything really change? We will see.