By Georgia Elander
CN: Parliamentary politics
So – here we go again. If you’re anything like me, you might this morning have seen the latest round of whisperings about a snap General Election on social media, might have dismissed them – and then, seeing the news, spent the last few hours trying desperately and perhaps fruitlessly to process what this means. What it means for the country, what it means for the left, what it means for us as individuals.
If you are anything like me, this news may well have made you want to go straight to bed, ideally for the next eight weeks – or to promptly disappear to the pub. Few of us, I suspect, are brimming with enthusiasm about the weeks to come. We are all tired: tired of voting, of campaigning, of arguing and, for the most part, of losing. It is an inescapable fact that the last few years have seen setback after setback for the left and the forward march of fascism, authoritarianism and xenophobia both here in the UK and around the world. It is hard to feel optimistic.
“Every day that this government remains in power, life gets worse for millions of people across the UK.”
But the fact is that June 8th is an opportunity. For the last seven years the Conservatives have been dismantling the welfare state, pushing people into poverty, and pursuing a vicious programme of cuts which transparently and disproportionately affect the poor, the disabled, the young, women, LGBT+ people and people of colour. Every day that this government remains in power, life gets worse for millions of people across the UK. An early election, whatever else it means, is an early opportunity to put an end to damage being done to this country.
So let’s get out and do our best to do just that. But let’s also remember a few key things. We don’t all agree on the best way to fight the right – on the tactics, on the priorities, on every single policy – and that’s okay. Let’s be kind to each other, because the weeks to come will not be kind to us, and there is strength in solidarity. Let’s also be kind to ourselves, because we cannot do everything, and first and foremost we need to survive. But let’s do what we can. If the last two years have shown us anything, it’s that no vote is a foregone conclusion, and we all have the power to make a difference.
Blueprint 