Halloween was supposed to be the day Britain left the European Union. Three and a half years of woeful negotiations, backstop chaos and the (broken) promise of an awful no-deal Brexit, we’re still in the EU, and will be for a few more months – unless someone other than the Tories wins the upcoming General Election.
Should leave voters decide they want to rake the Tories over the coals for failing to deliver Brexit as promised, they could vote for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. Some within that particular party are unsure of what to do. Targeting Tory seats and splitting the leave vote might strengthen Labour’s position in those areas. On the other hand, the Tories are bitterly divided, with the lame duck Boris Johnson unable to get his ideas through Parliament, having destroyed his government’s majority. For the Brexit Party to have any chance at meaningful growth and therefore tangible influence, they’ll need some Tory seats.
The Lib Dems have outright stated they’ll cancel Brexit. This is a move likely to attract remain votes, but it guarantees leavers will want nothing to do with them. As a result, owing to how the numbers fall, voting Lib Dem would achieve very little and likely strengthen the Tories.
Labour are offering a choice. They’re offering a second referendum. They’re offering their own deal (which is undefined at this moment), and remain, as options. To me, this is the most sensible approach, though how Labour play it in the campaign (and whether or not the media treat things fairly) will determine if it’s received correctly. It keeps all the options on the table, and it’s not polarising anything.
Brexit is but one issue, and the Tory record over nine years of their government has seen police and fire services suffer. It’s seen an unfathomable rise in food banks. The poor have got poorer, the rich have got richer. That’s why I’m voting Labour.
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