On Thursday, June 8th, the United Kingdom will have a special General Election three years earlier than expected. The expedited General Election is intended to ameliorate the controversy surrounding Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, and many of the issues in the election concern the logistics and the degree to which the United Kingdom will implement their decision.
As an American ex-pat, I can’t officially vote in Thursday’s election, but, since I live in this country, it is my responsibility to be active and informed about current events. It is British citizens’ duty to research the candidates to the same extent as foreign residents because they actually have the power to determine the country’s future. For what it is worth, here are my 5 thoughts:
- The Labour Party supports Keynesian economics, which will stabilise the NHS (which is characterised by long hospital lines and GP shortage), support the police forces, and promote a liveable wage through increased taxation.
- The aforementioned “liveable wage” will put less pressure on social programmes, like food banks, by moving some members of the working class out of poverty. While the policies would involve more taxation, the economics of inclusion is cheaper than the economics of exclusion.
- The Labour Party supports educational attainment, which would be facilitated through abolishing tuition fees and offering maintenance grants. This is a better way to achieve higher levels of employment than eliminating foreign competition and deporting foreign workers via Brexit.
- The Labour Party supports regulated immigration, which would allow more students, like me, to study in this country. This is contrary to the Tory and Conservatives’ targeted regulation. Considering the revenue that schools, like Oxford and the LSE, bring to the country, this is economically sound.
- The Conservatives’ response to last night’s terror attacks represent Jacques Derrida’s idea of “Autoimmunity,” which is characterised by marginalisation and more regulations on irrelevant issues, including internet safety which had nothing to do with the terror attacks
Anyway, I respect Britain’s decision, but I thought it was important to add my two cents as a foreigner on the outside looking in. I look forward to being in the country at such an exciting time, and cannot wait to see the direction that the country takes.