Thursday 12th December, 2019: We’re Not Choosing, We’re Chucking
On Thursday 12th December 2019 we are not electing a new government in the UK; we’re getting rid of one. Once you let this idea sink in, you will understand why the events next week will be generation-changing and why you have such an important role to play in them. I am not only referring to the impact of a Boris Johnson’s premiership on my generation or my children’s, but also on the ones after them.
The current government, both in its coalition and Tory-led incarnations, has ridden roughshod over everything we hold dear in the UK. Whether you were born in this country or (as in my case) you hail from outside the British Isles, there are a set of human rights-driven principles you are encouraged to adopt as your own. Sadly, they have been imperilled for almost a decade, and now they find themselves risking total extinction if Boris Johnson remains in Number 10.
It was Boris Johnson who tried to close down parliament illegally in the summer. It is Boris Johnson who has shown neither respect for nor acceptance of people from other communities. From Muslim women (he’s called them “letterboxes”) to gay men (whom he’s mocked as “bumboys”) he has displayed nothing but contempt. It is Boris Johnson who has compromised British democracy by employing such a devious and hatred-filled figure like Dominic Cummings. This Fouchénesque character with no specific remit in government has been one of the key players in the transformation of British politics, spreading his poison and creating divisions all over our land. In a clear “two-finger” signal to our democratic system and institutions, Boris Johnson recruited Dominic Cummings, the former head of the Vote Leave campaign, who only four months before had been found in contempt of parliament by a committee of MPs investigating fake news.
For Brexit-supporting voters who think Boris Johnson is their man, I say: think twice. Pathological liar Boris Johnson had a post-referendum newspaper column ready to celebrate Remain’s victory. In his own words, Boris Johnson said that Britain’s continued membership of the EU would be a “boon for the world and for Europe”. He also highlighted the importance of the EU as a trade partner by stating that “this is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms. The membership fee seems rather small for all that access. Why are we so determined to turn our back on it?” Brexit-faithful, how on earth can you still believe this two-faced charlatan?
The election on Thursday 12th December 2019 is not about Tories vs Labour but British people vs Boris Johnson (and his government). It is not about Brexit (no matter what Boris Johnson says) but about reconstruction. We need to rebuild this country from the ashes that nine years of Toryism have turned it into. In order to achieve that we’ll have to make some hard decisions. One of them may well be to vote for a party we’ve never voted for before and whose policies might not be at first sight very appealing. But tribalism is not good in this context. I’ve heard some saying that they will vote with their heart. Well, good luck I say, if you still have a heart left after 12th December 2019, when you turn up at your local A&E with a broken arm and get handed the bill for your treatment after. Because the NHS has by then been flogged off to Trump or whoever comes bidding for it. I wish your heart good luck as it tries to cope with the shock. Oh, and yes, there’ll be another bill coming up soon for your — then-developing — heart condition.
Vote with your mind. Vote tactically. The only goal, the only aim, the only objective right now is to wake up on Friday 13th December with no Boris Johnson in Number 10. We need to rebuild Britain. Together.
