Well, you never can tell. In many ways this was a deeply depressing night: that 40 per cent of people could vote for a party lead by an IRA-supporting, jihadist-sympathising loser like Corbyn, only a matter of days after a series of horrendous terrorist attacks, beggars belief.
That said, those of us who mocked ‘Remoaners’ for their inability to accept democracy must not be hypocrites. This is the age of authenticity, and the Conservative Party’s fall to earth was rooted in its cynicism and cowardice. Theresa May herself personified those hallowed Tory qualities, nailing her colours firmly to the back of the sofa during the EU referendum campaign and backtracking on campaign policies as soon as they ran into trouble.
The second reason is, as I remarked in my last TCW blog, capitalism is in very serious trouble. Away from the more salubrious London boroughs and the Westminster bubble, life has been pretty bleak since the 2007 crash, especially for younger people whose chances of owning their own home seem as distant as travelling to Mars. That generation that has never known the disasters of socialism and are desperately looking for a way out.
And what of Brexit? Again, the result was a disaster: at the time of writing a coalition with the hard-line Democratic Unionist Party looks likely, but how stable will that be, given the significant numbers of Remainers in Tory ranks? Certainly Remainers in general will be galvanised as never before, smelling the opportunity to snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat.
Finally, what is the future for our country? At the moment it looks grim – very grim. Not only is Brexit in serious jeopardy, but underlying shifts in economics, technology, demography and society all point to a further decline for the causes TCW hold most dear.
Britain was in the very fortunate position, unique among all Western nations, of having psychologically prepared itself for wrenching change when it voted to leave the European Union: Brexit could have been used by a more visionary and courageous party to unite the country to face the challenges ahead around a positive vision.
Unfortunately the Tories, as they have proved so many times before in their wretched history, are not such a party. Never very brave, it saw this election through the classical Tory prism of opportunism. If there is one sliver of light amidst the dark gloom, it is that it just might dawn on that ghastly organisation that its antics will no longer be tolerated by an electorate heartedly weary of lies, deceit, falseness and spin. Who knows, they may now elect a leader who actually believes in something.
(Image: DFID)
