Following the general election on Thursday 8th June 2017, the next general election in the United Kingdom is scheduled to be held on Thursday 5th May 2022 under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. The election may be held at an earlier date in the event of an early election motion being passed by a super-majority of two-thirds in the House of Commons, a vote of no confidence in the government or other exceptional circumstances.
Under the current Brexit timetable, and should no snap election be called, it is scheduled to be the first general election since 1970 to be held with the United Kingdom outside the European Union (since 1993) and its predecessor the European Communities, which the United Kingdom voted to stay part of in 1975, having joined in 1973.
There is much talk in the mainstream media about the possibility and/or probability of another election, possibly in October this year.
What is certainly the case is that given the 2011 Act, a decision to have another general election will be a deliberate co-ordinated decision on the part of the opposition parties or the governing parties, by which we mean the Tories and the DUP.
The question those seeking another general election will have to ask themselves and their colleagues is this: “Do we want to win?” Or to rephrase the question: “Do we want to be in government?”
However they word it, this is THE question the Labour Party members MUST ask themselves. Now of course, publicly – meaning answering any journalist who asks such a question, there can only be one answer: “Yes. Of course!” To answer otherwise is to completely destroy one’s credibility!
However, as the Chinese would doubtless say; “You are living in interesting times!”
At the present time, we have a situation that will bring cause the Tory government to become deeply unpopular. Should there be another election, and Labour replaces the Tories in government, they too will become deeply unpopular.
The British Gazette has stated this before and we now state it again: Brexit is a poison chalice. It will bring electoral defeat to any politician it is handed to! At the moment, the chalice is in the hands of Madame Mayhem. So the questions Jeremy Bernard Corbyn, the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition and the Member for Islington North (since 1983) must ask himself is these:
1. Do I want to occupy 10 Downing Street and drink from this poison chalice?
2. Do I want to become one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers in history?
3. Do I want to condemn Labour to decades in the wilderness?
Jeremy’s problem is this: If he answers “Yes” to Q1, he automatically answers “Yes” to Q2 and Q3!
He cannot answer viz: “Yes” Q1, “No” Q2 and “No” Q3. Such is impossible!
There is another thing that Jeremy should be aware of. Two dates: The first being Thursday 26th May 1949. British Gazette readers may not regard this date as significant, but for Jeremy, it is. It is his birthday. The second date has previously been mentioned: Thursday 5th May 2022.
What Jeremy needs to be aware of is this: On Thursday 5th May 2022 he will be three weeks away from his 73rd birthday. We would respectfully suggest that this is an age where a sensible person should not be undertaking the immense stresses of being Prime Minister.
IF the Labour Party has any collective sense they will attempt – SURREPTITIOUSLY – to see to it that the Tories continue in office – but not in power – until Thursday 5th May 2022. They can then be confident of getting their man or woman into 10 Downing Street!
Declaration of Self Interest: The Editor has a vested interest in seeing that Labour is NOT returned to government before Friday 1st October 2021. This is because a Labour government is likely to introduce punitive taxation on what they will categorise as “unearned income”. They might to this in various ways.
They might for instance replace the “Personal Allowance” with an “Earned Income Allowance”. This will mean that the allowance will ONLY apply to income that has been gained from employment or self employment. Dividend income will not be subject to the allowance and the Dividend Allowance only will apply. They might also raise the rate of tax on dividend income.
This of course will adversely affect person such as the Editor whose income is wholly from dividend income – except for the tax free feed in tariff income garnered from the solar panels on the roof!
It is however likely that a Labour Chancellor will introduce a concessionary level of taxation to those persons of state pension age. The most obvious (to a socialist such as Comrade Mcdonnell) would be to restrict the Dividend Allowance to those of state pension age – or those medically unable to work. This will probably be restricted to those in the Basic Rate tax band.
This is because many many people on modest incomes would end up being very heavily taxed. The problem for the Editor is this: Any such concession will most likely be restricted to those of state pension age.
It is therefore in the Editor’s self interest that Comrade Corbyn and the Labour Party see sense and keep the Tories in office until the Editor is eligible for his state pension! This is because the Editor can manage well enough on his modest income and does NOT want to find himself having to look for employment!
For other notable happenings on 26th May 1949, GOTO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_26
Speaking the Truth unto the Nation
