THE UK ELECTION: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

By Terry Moore, Brussels, Published in Tribune Magazine, 14 May 2010

Compared to the Anglo-centric UK media, the rest of the world's apparent indifference (except for one relatively minor faux pas) to the outcome of the UK general election is highly revealing at several levels. Firstly, global politics is much more concerned with the sovereign debt crisis than any political stasis in a middle-ranking country brought about by its own self-inflicted electoral system.

            An examination of the serious international press clearly undermines any Tory-inspired pressure for a quick decision to be made in the UK (in their favour) with the scare tactics being floated that otherwise the 'markets' will respond negatively. It appears to be the case that the unseen hand of the market in the UK is being influenced by the unseen machinations of Tory spin doctors.

            Secondly, the only meaningful coverage of the aftermath of the general election is the shambolic nature of the poll's organisation. With widespread coverage of the Returning officers' jobsworths locking doors, turning voters away and in some cases refusing to hand out ballot papers to people who were physically present in polling stations as the clock struck 10.00 p.m.

            Many third world countries gleeful coverage of the queues at polling stations and the protestations of those turned away was more a whimsical response to the patronising attitude the UK media has to the third world rather than a serious attempt to describe the election as undemocratic, nevertheless this was the main focus of coverage in many countries. The Mother of Parliaments organising the mother of all cock-ups?

            Thirdly, the idea that there must be a rush to form a coalition Government is an anathema to many and a bizarre political reaction to a significant few. Even in a profoundly modern and stable country like Germany, well-used to coalition Government, there is no rush to judgement amongst coalition partners as to how or when a Government will be formed

            Germany's last general election produced a majority for the Christian Democrats (the CDU, Angela Merkel's party) and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP). Even though there had been clear signals before the election that there would be a coalition between the two in the expected event that the CDU would not win an outright majority, practical negotiations about how a coalition would work and how it would be structured did not take place until after the election.

             In fact the Germans took what appears to be a leisurely month to form a new Government made up of the CDU (and its Bavarian sister party the CSU) and the FDP with elections taking place on 27 September 2009 and the Government not being officially formed until the 28 October 2010.

            In the extreme case of Belgium, the idea that negotiations to form a new Government might take a few days is simply laughable. Belgium has been know to go for weeks and sometimes months without a formal Government as complex negotiations amongst a myriad of political special interests tale place. Britain's current electoral outcome would be seen as simple in the extreme.

            Serious analysis of the election by the continental press appears to focus more on the future of UK policies concerning the EU than any idea that the British ought to form a Government quickly. In fact, one clear outcome of the election is that there is an ant-eurosceptic majority in the House of Commons. Consequently, the Conservatives neo-con, pro-Atlantacist view of the EU (as exemplified by William Hague and Liam Fox and their cronies) is unlikely to be able to railroad any changes to how the UK's relationship is with the EU and therefore forestall any attempts to impose referenda for changes to EU treaties.

            Fourthly, the UK's propensity to become self-absorbed about itself has been accelerated by the advent of 24-hour news channel coverage more concerned with the minutia of politics and a focus on personalities rather than on processes and policies. The current political situation is being distorted and problems are being magnified by the demands of a voracious appetite by television news to demonstrate that something is happening even when quiet council may sometimes be more appropriate.

            Maybe it should be left to the perceptive analysis of the outcome by the Spanish paper El Pais that is seriously underwhelmed and points out that New Labour's defeat has not been the handmaiden of change and that the situation in the rest of the EU is remarkably similar.

            “The trouble is, nothing has been born as a result of the death of the previous era. David Cameron has been around for five years, and in his shadow, perhaps prematurely, there is Nick Clegg, but neither has paved the way towards anything that looks even remotely new. Nor has anything new happened on the continent.

            “The difficulty of trying to govern, the feeling of disorientation, the crisis of the electoral system, together with the distrust and disgruntlement of its citizens, is not exclusively symptomatic of Britain. The only positive thing you can say about it, however, is that the British, like it or not, are in the same boat as other Europeans, and hanging from the same tree.”

            The perennial British delusion prevalent ever present amongst right-wing circles that the British are a people apart will allow for a slew of continued media coverage of the election result focusing mainly on personality and its outcome will continue to be driven by internal obsession, external indifference and as ever base Tory self-interest.