Did we ever really stop being a laughing stock after Brexit? It certainly doesn’t feel like it. But it isn’t too late to have better, more collaborative and more progressive politics in 2025, and end the cycle of cynicism and distrust in our elected officials.
Brexit, Partygate, Liz Truss, Sunak getting rained on, Starmer’s disregard for the electorate – UK politics really has become a tired-out, badly written, unfunny sitcom. Governments are measured on their WTF moments and whichever scandals dominated legacy media, rather than actual growth, development and improvement. And whilst that may make it more amusing, and more engaging for your average Joe, beneath lies quite a dangerous problem – UK politics has failed.
The primary job of elected officials is to work to create the best outcomes for a country, but, even at its very core, our country’s political system prevents this. Why is it that, during both world wars, the usual government vs opposition system was ditched to make way for cross-party wartime cabinets? Surely, if the best interest of the country was already priority number one, such substantial reform wouldn’t have been necessary. The very existence of two sets of benches placed facing one another pits our elected officials against each other in petty squabble, rendering ‘best interest’ a distant and distorted flame of optimism. Government and opposition stop fighting for the best, and start fighting TO BE the best. It’s not cohesive, it’s not productive, and it’s starting to look very clear that it isn’t fit for purpose.
I find it baffling that we stick, so unwaveringly, with such a clearly broken system, when such an obvious alternative is right there for the taking. The UK needs proportional representation. By opening the doors to effective, collaborative politics, not only is democracy nurtured and encouraged, but a collective goal of holistic betterment becomes pretty much unavoidable.
By having such system, not only would it take a sledgehammer to our outdated and ineffective two-party system, which already should have been written off years ago, but it would also give rise to a more diverse range of voices, and a more accurate microcosm of UK society in our parliament. Whilst I concede that there’ll be times where passing contentious legislation could be difficult, it’s undoubtable that even the debate around these issues will be more cohesive and informed, once fully free of political point-scoring. What’s more, I could also finally forget about my two least favourite words of the 2024 election campaign – tactical voting.
You’re more than welcome to call me an optimist – I’m not denying the extent of change I’m asking for here, and I’m under no illusion that we could shift to this within a year; however, in the meantime, there’s plenty that our MPs can be doing to put us on this path. Starting with extensive cross-party work on every issue. Think of a bill as a new product for a moment, the more market research undertaken before a product is created, the less kick-back from potential investors down the line. If our MPs spent more time working cross-party, creating bills and legislation that encompass a more diverse range of voices and opinions, then less time will be spent on sniping back and forth in supposedly constructive Commons debates.
Another easily achievable step would be to stop making such a mockery of UK politics. We’ve had a stream of scandals and corruption so long and so frequent that I wouldn’t be able to list them all before the next one comes about. Now, whilst the quality and morality of MPs is obviously an issue that needs to be taken seriously, my primary concern is the time that these scandals take away from actual governance – not just in Westminster, but also in the press. Transparency, an understanding of the electorate, and clear communication are key to successful governance – blurring this with yet another tale of Westminster corruption does nobody any favours.
Approval ratings and voter intentions show us just how much the electorate have fallen out with Westminster – and can you really blame us after the last decade of political shitshow? Proportional representation really should be on the cards, it isn’t far from the perfect solution; however, until then, it would be great to see our elected officials at least try and act like adults with one another in the new year.
