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UK voters win a moral victory for democracy

The Tory message was clear and simple: 'We will get Brexit done, because the people want it that way.

'Bombastic Boris vows to get Brexit done,' read a headline in a leading Left-leaning newspaper in the United Kingdom that chose to ignore reality (or was in denial) that the party was over for the whacko socialist Labour-led opposition. I tried to ignore the bias but later decided to write this column in defence of the Tories.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would work hard to repay the "trust" of voters after his win, but the newspaper went on to say that is was a 'shock' result, which made me wonder if it had read the mood of the electorate. All said and done, this election defeat was comeuppance for Labour's betrayal of the British people who chose Brexit. The ruling Conservatives had gambled by calling elections after exhausting all options to push a deal through parliament, and won handsomely.
Britain's partisan media that grasped ideology more firmly than the political instability wracking the country, did not see this thumping majority for Johnson's Tories coming from their vantage points. Far from a close finish, the Tories won with a flourish to give Labour their biggest drubbing since 1935.
Johnson's party pulled the rug from under Labour led by Jeremy Corbyn, a fanatic socialist whose scorn and derision of political authority other than his own was hard to digest for his political foes both within his party and outside. For the masses, the Labour leader's bitterness was hard to miss. Here was a man who dreamed of leadership but couldn't tower above the opposition benches and inspire people, politicians or policy.
The mindset for statesmanship was absent. Corybn was the forever choice for Labour's PM-in-waiting role where he will remain and soon be forgotten, with destiny having deserted him in his bid to become premier. It was no surprise then that Labour fell short of both voters and answers to govern Britain, with or without Brexit. This Tory triumph was a vote against the extremist swings of Left politics in Britain that was being shaped by what is known as Corbynism or far-right socialism that opposed for the sake of opposition and confused people. They vacillated when there were called to take a stand on issue of the day - Brexit.
The Labour leader, in his eagerness to recast the party in his image, embraced those extremes and lost touch with the party's traditional base among the working classes in small towns and provinces where the Conservatives made gains with decisive victories.
Labour's lack of focus proved dear while Johnson's party's message was clear and simple:
'We will get Brexit done, because the people want it that way.' Though Britons chose to part ways with the EU, their representatives in parliament placed roadblocks at every stage of the deal. They exacerbated the pain while foolishly believing they held the upperhand in negotiations with Brussels. The mockery of the legislative process and the petty politicking by both sides had shamed Britain's democracy in the eyes of the world.
The Brexit referendum in 2016 was the people's choice. Johnson and his predecessor, the much-reviled Theresa May, realised the verdict should be respected at all costs. May fell despite making headway with the EU. The PM's own pact met the same fate in Westminster and a fresh election was the only way out of the stalemate.
These elections prove Britain has changed for the better in its economic and political thought process. The country has swung firmly to the right but remains open to the world while striking a balance sans the Left. Johnson has signalled that he is ready for a new Brexit agreement that is premised on compromise.
For the people, this is a moral victory. They want political stability and a government they can trust to get the job done. And with this massive mandate for the Tories, Britons have shown haggling lawmakers their place and have taken back respect through the ballot.
- allan@khaleejtimes.com