A fine article by Mr. Bradshaw, and an excellent summation of British politics in the last several years. However, if I may make a short comment on his second to last paragraph, where he says:
“Some American readers may rejoice at the death of British socialism but the problem for those trying to build a serious left of center politics in the UK is that without socialism as an anchor, the radical left has drifted into a pathetic, nihilistic oppositionalism and allowed itself to be entranced by Islamism, crude ‘anti-imperialism’, anti-Americanism and even Anti-Semitism.”
I think he misses the point. Modern politics doesn’t NEED a strong leftist group. Indeed, a weak and disorganized left is a sign of a healthy political landscape. Leftism and it’s extensions, socialism and communism, are Political DISEASES and not a part of healthy political discourse.
In Britain, it means that politics there is returning from the wilderness of socialism. The stronger the right becomes, the healthier British society becomes, as right issues tend to focus around more “traditionalist” issues of home and hearth, personal responsibility and social morality, along with national issues such as fiscal responsibility, smaller government and strong national defense.
A stronger right will also be able to more effectively oppose the creeping Sharia (AKA: Islamism) culture that threatens the very foundation of British society. Leftism in any country invariably attempts to appease the Islamists. This tactic always proves fruitless, as the Islamists demand nothing less that total submission to Islam and Sharia law. Any step in that direction is always a mistake. Strong right interests understand this phenomena, and work to oppose Islamism wherever it is found, particularly at home.
Ultimately, the marginalization of the extreme left will only serve to alienate them from the British populace, further weakening their hold on the government and the culture at large. This is a very good and healthy thing.
Now, if the British right can just do something about the leftism of the Beeb.
