The Future of the United Kingdom

Le Monde analyses the results of last night’s election in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has secured a parliamentary majority and will remain PM another five years. Now that Johnson’s seat is secured (with such considerable support for the Conservatives not seen since Margaret Thatcher’s reign), he will finally be able to “Get Brexit Done” on January 31st without opposition in the parliament. On the other hand, the Labour Party has faced catastrophic defeat, where support for the political party has dropped in the last two years. The image of the party suffered, with leader Jeremy Corbyn accused of antisemitism recently. Following the results of the election, he formally announced his retreat, saying he will no longer spearhead other electoral campaigns (though only after a 'period of reflection', according to him). Le Monde also writes about the surprising turn of events surrounding the famous “red wall”, which had divided England for decades between Labour and Conservatives – this election showed instead that many had voted conservative, instead. As for the Liberal Democrats, party leader Jo Swinson also faced defeat, having lost her Dunbartonshire East seat to the Scottish National Party. On their end, Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are set on trying for another independence referendum.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir writes on Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish National Party leader and First Minister of Scotland, following the results of the British election. Having secured 55 seats for her party in the UK parliament (up by 20), Sturgeon seems more determined now than ever to propose another independence referendum in Scotland – an idea that has already been floating during the electoral campaign. The supporters of Scottish independence maintain that the future of Scotland should be chosen by their own people. Since the 2016 British referendum, the Scots have generally been opposed to Brexit (where a majority of the votes were against the British withdrawal from the EU). Nevertheless, with gains for the SNP and an ecstatic Sturgeon who also secured a seat from LibDem leader Jo Swinson, it seems that Prime Minister Johnson will have to deal with future tensions with the Scots in parliament, even with his majority conservative government.

This week in The Irish Times, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney offers his opinion on the border implications in a post-Brexit scenario. Though UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck a withdrawal agreement with the EU in the not-so-distant past and promised that the deal would not include border checks between the two nations, Coveney is not convinced. Now that Brexit seems very likely with Boris Johnson’s win yesterday, the worries surrounding customs control between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are more substantiated. Additionally, Coveney believes that during the transitionary period after the January 31^st deadline, it will be very difficult to put things in order between the EU and the UK in the short timespan. The article mentions how other British government officials have also shown their discontent with the prime minister, saying that he cannot be trusted with his Brexit claims as they are not as truthful as they seem.

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant writes about the interesting phenomenon of Anglophilia felt in The Netherlands, which has especially bloomed following the British referendum of 2016. The article points out that the Dutch are the closest followers of Brexit, where the former House of Commons Speaker John Bercow had even acquired celebrity status – the Dutch seem to feel a strong sense of solidarity with the Brits in regards to their Brexit troubles. The Anglophilia seems to trace back to the Second World War, when the Dutch had been liberated by the West – though centuries before, distrust was felt towards the British Empire when it was at the height of its power. According to the newspaper, currently the Dutch have a romantic image of the British, dreaming of the rolling hills of England and Christmas pudding. De Volkskrant writes that though that dream may be misleading and the love may not be mutual, the Netherlands have nonetheless remained a link between the UK and the rest of Europe, and will continue to be “true friends” with the British even after Brexit.