LABOUR has failed to dominate the council elections despite the illegal actions of PM Johnson, and the way that under his government living standards are being slashed and shredded by the capitalist crisis.
The Bank of England is predicting at least 10% inflation immediately ahead, with the prospect of a financial crash forcing millions into 1930s-style conditions.
Labour managed to take three London councils Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet from the Tories.
Labour leader Keir Starmer hailed this as a ‘big turning point’ for his party, but as counting continues Labour is currently at a net loss of councils outside London, proving that under ex-Public Prosecutor Starmer Labour will not be able to win a general election.
The main gainers in the election are the Liberal Democrats. They gained 58 council seats so far.
Tory co-chairman Oliver Dowden says the results are disappointing, but encouraged by Labour’s failure, said that the UK needs Johnson’s ‘bold leadership’ despite his criminal conviction and his war in the Ukraine.
The election results have encouraged the Tory leaders to stick with Johnson, and the war in the Ukraine, with the UK ruling class starving the British workers to arm the Ukrainian fascists.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, when asked about results in England, said: ‘It’s very disappointing and challenging for the party to lose councils we have held since the 1960s – right the way through when we’ve been in government, when we’ve been in opposition, at the peak of the Blair years.’
He added: ‘It doesn’t look like voters are shifting to other parties, they’re staying at home this time. Again we have to wait and see what happens in Scotland.’ Labour has however gained a net 33 councillors, with wins in London, but little progress elsewhere.
With around half of council results declared, the Conservatives have lost 120 councillors so far, although this loss is far less than some had expected.
Meanwhile, there’s been a stronger performance from the Greens, who’ve added 23 seats to their total.
Labour leader Starmer now says the party has ‘much more work to do’ to be back on track for a win at the next general election. What has happened is that Labour voters stayed at home since their standard of living has been shredded by the ever deepening capitalist crisis, with Starmer just looking on.
In fact the main parliamentary parties are in full support of Johnson’s war in the Ukraine, despite the fact that it means sky high rises in the cost of living and huge industrial collapses, as interest rates are pushed up to try to prevent a massive slump and a 1930s-style collapse of the capitalist system.
Ahead will be the demand and the imposition of even bigger cuts and sacrifices of living standards.
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood the Chair of the Defence Select Committee has related how the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine means there is ‘a 1938 feel about today’.
Ellwood’s comments were referring to Adolf Hitler’s advances in the dawn of World War Two, which officially began in 1939. The Chair of the Defence Select Committee believes more should be spent on defence in order to be ready for ‘what’s coming over the horizon’.
When asked whether a three per cent rise in GDP for defence spending is enough, Ellwood told GB News’ Colin Brazier: ‘It’s heading in the right direction, I think what I’m trying to convince people is that we’ve turned a corner in our history.
‘What is happening in Ukraine isn’t just going to stay in Ukraine. But actually, it’s going to have huge consequences, both in a military perspective but also in our way of life. And we do need to spend more on defence as we see Russia and China increasingly exert themselves with greater confidence and challenge our way of life.
‘Our international rules-based order, that has served us well, for about 40 or 50 years, looks very wobbly indeed.’ He continued: ‘And I’d go even further, without sounding too dramatic. There’s a 1938 feel to where we are today and we need to be prepared for what is coming over the hill.
‘Our army, our air force and our navy actually were cut in their capabilities in the last review that took place a year ago. ‘I’d like to see those cuts reversed and us be ready to have the hard power for what’s coming over the horizon.’
Last week Foreign Secretary Truss referred to the Ukrainian war as ‘our war’ – meaning that the working class will have to pay for it.
What is needed in the UK is for the working class to take general strike action to bring down the Tories, to bring in a workers government and a socialist planned economy. The national TUC march in London on June 18th must be the start of the general strike. There is no other way out of the developing crisis.
