Prior Preparation and Planning
It’s not as if the United Kingdom was not ready for a change; it had been written in the stars and in the minds of countless citizens for months, if not years, prior to the elections which brought the Labour Party back into power with a landslide election result. It had been heralded by the massive failings of a succession of Conservative-led governments, and by the inability of one Prime Minister after another to read the room, to see what was needed, to react to the reality of the times, and to stop putting themselves and their party before the needs of both the country and its people. Austerity and exceptionally bad decision making when it came to the awarding of contracts, predominantly to friends, family, and other incompetent or opportunist entities lacking in experience, in connections and, in some cases, the slightest hint of honesty, were merely the icing on the cake.
After years of siting on the opposition benches, of spitting fire and fury at the incompetence, intransigence and blatant stupidity of the ruling government, Sir Keir Starmer and his cohorts were suddenly faced with something they had clearly not prepared themselves for: forming the next British government. Within weeks it became clear that Starmer and his changing team had little to no idea what they were doing, or what needed to be done. The fiery speeches and propositions, the good advice and well-meaning words, turned into another version of what had gone before, as the Conservative party had brought the country virtually to its knees. It seemed as if what the Conservatives had not been able to do, the Labour government would now complete, cost what it may, and certainly without any thought of benefit to the people they deigned to command, claimed to represent.
There is a saying that history tends to repeat itself, that we should look to the past – good and bad – in order to shape our decisions for the future. This is as true of British politics as it is of politics elsewhere throughout the world, and down to the very core of capitalism, commercialism and society in general. Anyone with a basic understanding of history, going back no further that one hundred and fifty years, can find one example after another of things that have been done for good and bad, and which appear to be on the political agenda for repetition today, or in the near future.
Jörg Baberowski, in his work “Die letzte Fahrt des Zaren: Als das alte Rußland unterging” (“The Last Journey of the Czar: when old Russia fell”) gives us a prime example of a piece of history now repeating itself. As the Russian people took to the streets and raised barricades, demanding bread to eat and a halfway livable life, Russian politicians were in the same quandary:
Aber Kerenski, der sonst seiner Leidenschaft freien Lauf läßt, spurt in diesem Moment, daß er nicht wüßte, was er tun solle, würde ihm jetzt die Macht übertragen. Wie stets gefallen sich die Abgeordneten darin, feurige Reden zu halten und Forderungen zu stellen, aber eigentlich heben sie keine Vorstellung davon, wie die Kriese bewältigt werden soll, die Rußland aus dem Gleis geworfen hat.
Nicht nur die liberalen Abgeordneten sind von der Unruhen überrascht. Auch die Revolutionäre begfreifen nicht, was in den Industrierevieren geschieht. Jahrelang haben sie den Aufstand herbeigeredet, und nun sind sie ratlos, weil Arbeiter sich ohne ihre Aufforderung auf die Straße begeben.
But Kerensky, who usually gives free rein to his passions, realizes at this moment that he wouldn’t know what to do if power were handed to him now. As always, the deputies revel in giving fiery speeches and making demands, but they actually have no idea how to overcome the crisis that has derailed Russia.
It is not just the liberal deputies who are surprised by the unrest. The revolutionaries, too, are baffled by what is happening in the industrial regions. For years they have been talking up an uprising, and now they are at a loss because workers are taking to the streets without their prompting.
At the very latest, as Mary Elizabeth “Liz” Truss was elected Prime Minister in Westminster, the opposition should have realized the days of a Conservative government were numbered. Forty-nine days later, on 25 October 2022, even the most politically illiterate would have seen the writing on the wall, and begun to make preparations for the future. Government, though, is far more than just words. Standing up to speak in the House of Commons as a member of the Opposition is far removed from standing on the other side of the House and being in a position of power. The one has merely the power of words, of expressed indignation, fury even, where the other has the power to bring about change. The Labour party under Starmer, it would appear, had mastered the former, but are, and to all intents and purpose will continue to be, severely lacking in the ability to take control of the latter.
There are many other short wise sayings which do the rounds when the need arises, and which have proven themselves to hold that wisdom needed in certain situations, if only those who the words are directed to would take note and react accordingly. It is much the same as Old Wives’ Tales: there is a reason they are there, as advice or words of warning. The one which Starmer and his confederates should have taken notice of, should have written upon their planning boards as it became clear they stood an excellent chance of finally winning the elections, is known as the Seven Ps:
Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Far more than that, though, they should have taken note of the many failings and failures of their predecessors, of the contents of their own speeches and manifesto, and decided against following the same path to ruin the Conservative government had so religiously set before themselves. Their lack of preparation, their lack of planning, their blatant inability to see what is happening outside of their own privileged Westminster bubble, is setting the scene for a new government, an extreme government expounding populist policies, but with an equal lack of ability and experience: Reform UK; the final nail in the coffin of a country once considered to be a bastion of democracy and decency.
