Making Plans for Nigel (…Farage)
Making Plans for Nigel (…Farage)
By Adam Dempsey
While the outcome of the UK’s general election was a foregone conclusion, there were nevertheles some intruiging developments. Besides the ruling Conservative’s worst-ever showing, the victorious Labour Party’s dramatic revival was tempered by a decline in its Muslim vote. This paved the way for the election of five independent pro-Palestinian members of parliament primarily from Britain’s Muslim population. Several minor parties also saw an upsurge in fortunes, including Reform, whose five MPs include Nigel Farage, an architect of Brexit and now self-styled “real leader of the British oppostion.”
Taken at face value, Reform’s presence in the House of Commons looks paltry against Labour’s 411 MPs. However, thanks to Britan’s first-past-the-post electoral system, the party was able to split a disaffected Conservative vote, gifting seats to Labour while sending Farage to Parliament at the eighth time of asking. In doing so, Britain’s leading populist politician has presented the Conservative Party with an existential dilemma: lurch further to the right on issues such as immigration or return to the political centerground.
Read the full piece at InStrat.
Adam Dempsey is a political analyst and strategic communications consultant with a focus on topics shaping the GCC and wider MENA region. His research and commentary have been published by Gulf International Forum, Defence Viewpoints, Fair Observer, Inside Arabia, LobeLog, among others.
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