Johnson Gets His Mandate

We gather the morning after the Tory triumph the night before to discuss how they did it and what it means. From Swinson's hubris to Corbyn's comeuppance, from Scottish independence to constitutional challenges, from the start of Brexit to the end of the Brexit party, we try to cover it all in a bumper edition. With Helen Thompson, Chris Brooke, Chris Bickerton, Alison Young, Peter Sloman, Kenneth Armstrong, and some overnight reflections from other TP regulars. If you want to hear more, David and Helen are also on 538 discussing the election result.

Talking Points:

It was a good night for the Conservatives, a bad one for Labour, and cosmically bad for the Lib Dems.

• The Lib Dems made a fatal mistake in backing Revoke and running a presidential style campaign.
• They lured fewer Tory remainers than they had hoped.
• Six months ago, the Conservatives were in existential crisis, and now they are like Thatcher in all her pomp.

How grim are things for Labour?

• They lost seats they’ve held for decades. But they didn’t lose by that much. If the problems are Corbyn and Brexit, those won’t be there the next time around.
• Realignment in the North and Midlands may not be permanent.
• Labour is popular among young people and renters. There are more of them in cities, where Labour is already strong.
• Who can bridge the urban-rural, traditional base-new base divide?

Now that there’s a clear majority, will Parliament go back to working as usual?

• It’s not only the two parties: there’s also the SNP.
• They will probably repeal the fixed term parliament act.
• What about the Supreme Court? Could Scotland be the next thing they weigh in on?

What will happen to the Labour Party post-Corbyn?

• It’s not easy to separate the Corbyn factor from the Brexit factor.
• Corbyn’s record on security issues mattered—his support never recovered from the Salisbury poisoning. A lot of people don’t see him as a patriot.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Our video on Jo Swinson
• ...and on the next Labour leader

Further Learning:

• David and Helen talk about the election with our friends at 538
• Talking with Anand Menon before the elections

And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: lrb.co.uk/talking

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