Is There a Cure for the Chaos in British Politics?
- Karl Johansson
- 6 okt.
- 4 min läsning
Politics in Britain are chaotic. Does every cloud really have a silver lining?
Britain’s political chaos is at an all time high. Keir Starmer is unpopular, as is his numerous rivals for Number 10 in the next general election. Much has been said about the collapse of Britain’s previously stable party duopoly, with invocations of the French example of 2017 abound. Kemi Badenoch and her Tories do not seem to be contenders anymore if you listen to pundits, it is all about Starmer and Farage. That is a no win choice to many voters, but political upheaval bring opportunities as well as challenges.
One of the main issues with British politics is the way its first-past-the-post system and single MP constituencies are designed to create a two-party system that rewards small changes in votes with massive changes in the distribution of seats in Parliament. This system was useful in a time when the fault lines between politicians, parties, and ideologies were similarly binary, but today Britain seems more complexly divided than that. For a more ideologically diverse electorate the British system is a poor fit as most voters have to put up with picking which of the two dominant parties one prefers rather than having a broader menu of options.
The system was designed for a time when Britain was a more active military force and an empire with interests and colonies spanning the globe. There was an obvious need for a strong and united government of action, a need for a system tailored towards a strong executive. But today Britain is a middle power which should be more concerned with internal affaires and consensus building – as its newly fractious politics since 2015 show – and as such the kind of parliamentary system with proportional representation common in the Nordics and Germany speaking parts of Europe are a better fit.
The reason why political reform is rare in all states is that there are almost always powerful incumbents set to lose from any political reform, and indeed that is one of the reasons why any drive towards proportional representation have failed in the UK. Neither the incumbent government nor the opposition would want to widen the aperture of potential as it could benefit upstart parties at the cost of the two main parties. The change from first-past-the-post to proportional representation is therefore very rare.
Political change is most common in times of crisis, and while Britain is not currently in crisis there is a palpable sense of crisis in its politicians. For once the Tories and Labour are united in their fear of and opposition to a third party with a real chance of taking power in the Isles: Reform. If they are sufficiently spooked and underhanded way of sabotaging Farage would be to change the voting system. It would be painful, but it would almost certainly end Reform’s chances of getting a majority in Parliament.
In an age where both the Tories and Labour have mainly had managerial aspirations when in power big ideas has come to have an unusual amount of power in British politics. First that big idea was leaving the European Union, and now it seems to be to tear down the country’s image as open to and welcoming of immigrants. Another big idea could be far reaching political reform, if sir Keir and Kemi are up to it. I personally don’t think they are. Yet. But if things still look to go Farage’s way in 2029 that could change.
To be clear, I support and advocate for the change to proportional representation and think it has the potential to solve many of Labour’s, and to a lesser extent the Conservatives’, problems. If Farage and Reform’s strength is not a fad then this may be one of the few ways to stave off the death of the Tories, and the polling is clear that while Reform could get a majority of seats in Parliament it is not likely to get a majority of votes, it is just that the British voting system rewards votes concentrated in limited geographies rather than rewarding an over all large share of votes cast. Additionally, Starmer’s government has not really accomplished anything major yet, and while there is plenty of time still, and every politician wants a legacy. What greater legacy could one hope for than comprehensive political reform which will define the country for decades to come?
If you liked this post you can read a previous post about Russia's economy here or the rest of my writings here. I also have a section for longer reads I call essays here, I particularly recommend my essay on Silicon Valley and AI called 'No Acoustic Guitars in Silicon Valley'. It'd mean a lot to me if you recommended the blog to a friend or coworker. Come back next Monday for a new post!
I've always been interested in politics, economics, and the interplay between. The blog is a place for me to explore different ideas and concepts relating to economics or politics, be that national or international. The goal for the blog is to make you think; to provide new perspectives.
Written by Karl Johansson
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Cover photo by bill emrich from Pexels, edited by Karl Johansson
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