Colin D Gordon

On May 6th 2007,France chose its new President. 85% of the electorate voted:  53% for the conservative candidate,Nicholas Sarkozy and just under 46% for his socialist opponent,Segolene Royal. The ‘anti-fascist’ protests which followed in many French cities couldn’t conceal the fact that this was a democratic result. The winner had a clear majority. The next French Presidential election will be in five years’ time. It’s stipulated in the Constitution. In the USA,the Presidential elections are every four years,so it’s adios to George W Bush in 2008. He can’t (to most people’s relief) run again.

In the last British General Election on May 5th 2005,barely 60% voted. The Labour Government got just 35% of the popular vote & 22% of the total registered electorate. Not exactly an overwhelming endorsement of its policies. The Conservative & Liberal Democrat opposition achieved a combined share of 55%,but because (under the British system),Labour won more constituencies it also obtained 66 more seats than the other parties in the House of Commons. According to the UK’s (unwritten ) Constitution,the Leader of the majority party becomes Prime Minister (after going to Buckingham Palace to be officially appointed by the Queen). The Prime Minister can choose when to hold the next election up  to a maximum of five years,so there are no fixed dates as under a Presidential system elsewhere.

In reality,British elections take place when the Government considers it has the best chance of winning again. Tony Blair has (very reluctantly) announced that he will resign (at Buckingham Palace) on 27th June. He has been pushed out by the country’s hostility to the Iraq war. Logically & reasonably,the country should also have the opportunity to decide who it wants as its next Prime Minister. It doesn’t quite work like that. The Government doesn’t have to hold a new General Election until (at the latest) 2010 and is unlikely to do so at the moment as it’s worried it might lose to the Conservative’s David Cameron. Instead,the Labour Party will choose a new Leader who will then automatically become the new Prime Minister. The current Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of Finance), Gordon Brown, will get the job. There is no other serious challenger within the Labour Party. He’s been waiting for this moment since 1997. Even longer.

In 1994,when the Labour Party was still in opposition,Blair & Brown made a deal in a north London restaurant (The ‘Granita’): If Blair became Leader & then won the next two elections (which he did: in 1997 & 2001) it would be Brown’s turn. Much to Brown’s annoyance,Tony Blair reneged on this agreement. He stayed on. And on. In Britain (just as everywhere else) once politicians have got into power they don’t like to give it up. Gordon Brown is now attempting to portray himself as the’fresh face’ –rather like Sarkozy in France. In fact,neither of them are.   Brown has been equally responsible for Labour Government policies since 1997. He has run the Treasury almost independently of Blair. He has provided the money which has been poured into Health.Education & Transport with few discernable improvements. He has introduced ‘stealth’ (behind the back) taxes. He has sold off British gold reserves for a ridiculously low price. He has financed the Iraq war. For some English,there is an additional problem. Brown is Scottish. He will be introducing legislation which will apply to England but not to his own country. Scotland has its own Parliament and makes its own laws.

Brown will become Prime Minister whether we like it or not. David Cameron is regarded as a lightweight imitation of Tony Blair. We claim to be bringing democracy to Iraq and elsewhere. Perhaps we should look closer to home first.

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