The British PM Rishi Sunak has not lived up to people’s expectations, hitting an all-time favourability low, with numbers even worse than those posted by Liz Truss. But the problems facing the British society are not going to be solved either by a likely new prime minister or by the successive Labour government. The UK’s troubles seem far from over.
If modern were to think within the paradigm of medieval English mysticism, they might well conclude that their government had been subjected to the most sinister kind of witchcraft. Indeed, everything seems to be going to the dogs, belly up and down the tubes.
The witchcraft, they would reckon, is most certainly coming from none other than the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen as the UK hit an extremely rough patch shortly after Brexit and a surge in bad blood with Brussels. The latter was stupefied both by the ‘betrayal’ and the recklessness of the referendum organisers. As a result, the Brits were handed a bad divorce settlement that sent their economy on a downward spiral they have yet to figure out a solution to.
Today even those who honestly think there is a witchy bone to Ursula von der Leyen, a demographic that transcends the shores of the British Isles, mostly doubt her ability to jinx anyone. The woes befalling the ship as well as the crew are often blamed on the captain, whose role was apparently played by the ex-PM Boris Johnson. It was he who dragged the UK into two back-to-back costly geopolitical misadventures: the ill-conceived Brexit plan and the military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine.
In the end, the dear old Blighty has cracked under pressure, seeing as Boris Johnson mostly drew upon the historical experience as opposed to the kingdom’s present-day capabilities. As things went from bad to worse, the ruling Tories eventually made the prevaricating and misguided head of the Cabinet face the music, only to then find out that the real problems stretch well beyond the ill-starred PM.
His successor, Liz Truss, had to evacuate Number Ten in less than two months in the wake of a few fatal missteps that left the British financial system in choppy waters. With Truss’ reputation as an assertive, cynical and stubborn yet a tad slow-witted individual, even the inveterate UK haters thought Rishi Sunak’s takeover might patch things up.
Firstly, it could not get much worse as years of negative selection had led to the British elite hitting the rock bottom, and so, improvement seemed quite likely. Secondly, Sunak looked like he was the much-needed new blood capable of reinvigorating the listless political leadership.
Though not exactly an Englishman, he is an alumnus of the Stanford business school and comes from an affluent background. A technocrat, he was considered moderate enough to be able to rebuild the relations with everyone Boris Johnson had come at odds with, barring Russia, of course. But to be fair, Sunak was not obsessed with an anti-Russian stance the way both Johnson and Truss were.
Finally, Sunak looked like a perfect accountant and auditor the British economy was in dire need of following a series of botched experiments carried out by his predecessors. And succeed he did. The inflation rate has slowed down, and a moderate estimate projects a 0.5% GDP growth for 2025.
But the bad smell left in many a Brit’s mouths by the Tory rule is coming back to haunt him. Rishi Sunak, a former straight A-student, has hit an all-time low in the favourability ratings. According to a poll conducted by Ipsos Group in early April, 75% say they are dissatisfied with the current PM vs 67% disapproving of his predecessor.
The two are tied at 16% in the number of those who approve of their policies, whereas the Tory party overall is faring slightly better, with 19% saying ‘yes’ to them. It means the odds are, next year they are going to be shellacked by the Labour whose popularity, according to the poll, has risen to 44%, in what could be their worst election outcome in 200 years.
In fact, things are so dismal that by the time the election rolls around, the Tory may well have substituted their PM in what would be a last-ditch effort to make headway. They have one more candidate to try their luck in the prime ministerial shoes, Penny Mordaunt, the country’s first-ever female defence secretary. She previously lost the Conservative Party’s leadership contests to Johnson, Truss and Sunak, but now it is perhaps her turn to step up. However, the honorary captain of the Royal Navy is unlikely to improve things dramatically. The almost twofold Labour lead sees the ruling party as good as doomed, even with the election still nearly a year away.
Part of the reason the British elites are degrading are the notorious British traditions. For instance, only an MP or a member of the Lords is eligible to hold the PM’s job. This fact narrows down the active candidate roster. To make matters even worse, a drawn-out string of the party feuds has led to some of the MPs refusing to join forces with their colleagues as part of the Cabinet.
To plug the candidacy gap the size of the Foreign Office, the Lords tapped former PM David Cameron to join the House. But despite his impressive track record in the international affairs, Cameron has hardly bolstered Sunak’s Cabinet. After all, he is the one to blame for both the ongoing Tory crisis and the UK’s current downturn.
That being said, the ‘curse’ extends beyond the current Tory lineup. While the mediocrity of the incumbent authorities is going to hand the win to the Labour, the British people will not be able to breathe a sigh of relief. The current Labour leaders are poised to follow in the Tory footsteps along the same road that has proven disastrous for the nation.
There are different brands of the Labour, including the far-left (at least by the British standards) politicians who abhor the US, NATO and the global oligarchy and are blaming them for the Ukraine conflict. But the 2025 electoral win will be spearheaded by Sir Keir Starmer who has rid the party of the members holding ‘pro-Russian views’.
An exemplary Blairist, Starmer will make sure the UK plays second fiddle to the US globalists and plunges into the culture wars domestically (for instance, over the transgender issues).
The UK’s involvement in the Ukrainian affairs may further deepen, exacerbating the country’s conflict with Russia.
Once the ruling party gets superseded by the Starmer lot to the richly deserved boos of the public, Britain will not find something the polls show it is coveting, namely, the peace of mind where the government prioritises a wealth of social and economic issues without polarising the British society; does not sign up for ill-advised expensive misadventures; and does not poke separatism – or, in short, recovers.
That would be enough to un-jinx the country. But following the long-awaited ‘screw-you election’, the Brits will not rejoice, and the only reasonable politicians in the new parliament will be a handful representing Reform UK, a party similar to Alternative for Germany and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.
While the Americans still have a shot at a reboot in case Donald Trump wins in November, the UK has been doomed to a decade of self-destruction. Perhaps it is their fate – or maybe witchcraft and a curse.