…and May’s upcoming “Mayday!!”
Looks like politics in the “Mother of all Parliaments”, at Westminster, is going to be a tad more uncertain than we were tutored before Independence. And it’s all because Theresa May overplayed the hand she received after the Brexit vote.
For those who may still remember the nursery rhymes we were taught by the British, it’s the story of “The dog and the bone” all over again! You remember the story, don’t you, dear reader? Crossing a bridge on his way home with a bone in his mouth that he’d found, a hungry dog sees his shadow reflected in the water. Thinking it’s another dog with a bone, the greedy mutt tries to grab it. But his own bone falls into the water – lost forever! Theresa May came out of the 2015 elections with 331 seats — 6 over the 325 majority in that 650-seat Parliament; but after the ringing endorsement on the Brexit vote, she got greedy and wanted a bigger majority. So, three years ahead of schedule, she called a snap election — and ignominiously lost 13 seats, leaving her with 318 – eight short of a majority!! Her main rival, Labour’s Jeremy Corbin, picked up 30 seats, but is still far short of a majority, with 262 seats.
This is analogous to the situation we had here in 2011, when none of the parties had an absolute majority, and a “hung parliament” resulted.
May’s announced she won’t be resigning; and, as a matter of fact, she’ll be asked to form the next government, since she holds the largest bloc of seats. But she also doesn’t want a coalition with any of the several small parties, which could give her the majority; since she’ll be forced to give them Ministries and share her manifesto. So how will she form a government that needs a majority??
Well, the English Parliament has an arrangement known as “confidence and supply”, which could tide over a “minority government” without it being a coalition. Here, one or more of the smaller parties would agree to support the Tories’ main legislation, such as a budget and Queen’s speech which, if not supported by a majority, could fall on what becomes a “no-confidence” vote. But the smaller party wouldn’t formally take part in government.
May has made clear she’s going to try to strike a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (NDU), which has 10 seats.
Your Eyewitness predicts that May will soon be sending out a “Mayday!” call, since the NDU won’t roll over and play dead, like the AFC in Guyana.
Some parties have some shame. And b*lls.
…the Burnham “mould”
As Venezuela careens into the abyss, from which it’ll take decades to claw out of, Guyanese should reflect on the parallels between the Burnhamite regime and Chavez/Maduro’s – and, of course, their identical denouement. They both claimed they weren’t “communists,” but merely “leftists” who wanted to help the poor and the powerless. The small man would become the real man. And how would this be done?? Well, both countries were rich in resources; and while Guyana didn’t have oil to rake in the big bucks, Burnham nationalised the sugar industry at a point after prices had hit historic highs, just as Venezuela nationalised oil.
They both announced programmes that would “assist” the poor – by giving them handouts. But this has never worked anywhere, has it? Firstly, the “leftist” approach assumes a “commandantist” system, which excludes the Opposition. That approach is a recipe for corruption, as “insiders” determine to whom the largesse would be directed. The country becomes more divided, incentives to produce are destroyed, and all business deteriorates.
And we’re promised a return of “Burnhanism” here!
…and WI Cricket
How low can we fall? Your Eyewitness thought not lower that not qualifying for the Champion’s Trophy, but the loss to Afghanistan has shown that our abyss is much deeper.
Can’t someone rid us of this WICB albatross?
