The Comedy of Errors in British Election Campaign: The Conservative Ousts The Labour

Tabassum, from Dacca, keenly follows British politics. Here’s her analysis of the British election campaign, which saw The Conservative Party win the election with a majority. An exclusive for Different Truths.

“For we may pity, though not pardon thee.”

~ The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare

It’s been a week; the British people have decided. The Conservative Party has won the election with a majority. How and when the Brexit will be done, it’s a matter of debated discussions and arguments. Let us focus on the lighter side of this election. The exciting things happened during the campaign. One of the most unprecedented episodes was former British Prime Minister Sir John Majore’s (Conservatives) calling on the voters to back rebel candidates running against Boris Johnson to block a hard Brexit. And in response to Sir John Majore, a Conservative levelled him as “old hash-been” in LBC Radio Show. Boris Johnson said that Sir John was wrong. It was an extra-ordinary measured response from Johnson.

It is a very British thing that BBC presenter Andrew Neil interviews leaders of the parties in 30-minute crushing and excruciating face to face sitting program. Breaking all precedent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to sit for the interview

It is a very British thing that BBC presenter Andrew Neil interviews leaders of the parties in 30-minute crushing and excruciating face to face sitting program. Breaking all precedent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to sit for the interview, and his conservative aids levelled the interview format as tiring. In reply, Neil gave an unprecedented on-air challenge to Johnson. He did it on the state-supported BBC, where he suggested that Johnson might be a coward or a fabricator. Here is the link below:

Channel 4 invited all the foremost political party leaders to take part in the election showdown on tackling the climate emergency. Both Johnson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage declined. The Conservative Party had offered Former Secretary of Environment, Michael Gove to take part as an alternative of PM but Channel 4 rejected the offer. Instead, Broadcaster replaced PM Johnson and Farage with ice sculptures. It was quite hilarious. Enjoy by clicking to the following link:

Just three days before the U.K election, British PM Johnson had taken ITV reporter Joe Pike’s phone and put it in his pocket, as the reporter tried to show him a photo of a sick child.

Just three days before the U.K election, British PM Johnson had taken ITV reporter Joe Pike’s phone and put it in his pocket, as the reporter tried to show him a photo of a sick child. Jack Williment-Barr forced to lie on the floor of a British hospital, while waiting for treatment under an increasingly strained National Health Service system. This footage is a comedy of errors and indeed painful. We may laugh at Johnson’s effort to put the phone of the reporter inside his pocket and to try to distract the issue. We may laugh out loud watching Johnson embarrassed when challenged by the reporter and giving the reporter’s phone back to him and offering to give the reporter an interview. A possible on the spot damage control effort. But surreal truth is British PM’s lack of compassion and empathy, which didn’t make us laugh without thoughts. The unmissable link is the below:

I am certain that it was a nightmare for The Conservative Party and aides of the PM, especially the PR in charge. They must have summoned a spin doctor for immediate damage control. I wonder, who this spin doctor was? Later, PM Johnson posted a bizarre video copying from the famous blockbuster and hugely popular around the world, a British film, Love Actually. As an ardent fan of the film, I choked to watch the video.

The media was surprised or shocked. A sharp response came from Love Actually actor Hugh Grant. Brilliant netizens were quick enough to post a counter video by replacing the promises in the placard as shown in the original video posted by The Conservative Party.

This video is amusingly humorous and witty. It should not be missed. The link is below:

Lies, actually. pic.twitter.com/EZldAqjqSZ

— David Schneider (@davidschneider) December 10, 2019

Just two days before the election, father of Jack Merritt, who was murdered in the London Bridge terrorist attack last month, had directly criticised the prime minister for treating his son’s death as a political ‘opportunity’ in an interview with Sky News.

Just two days before the election, father of Jack Merritt, who was murdered in the London Bridge terrorist attack last month, had directly criticised the prime minister for treating his son’s death as a political ‘opportunity’ in an interview with Sky News. In the immediate aftermath of the attack in which Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were killed, the prime minister wrote an article in the Mail on Sunday calling for changes to sentencing laws. Dave Merritt said that he had not been contacted by the prime minister or 10 Downing Street since his son’s murder. Merritt described Johnson’s response article as a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ and ‘an ill-considered intervention’. Here is the link of the interview of Dave Merritt:

So inhuman that we struggle to see it as the comedy of errors because to the family of the victims, it is heartbreaking and there is no place for consolation.

The Labour was not lagging in the comedy of errors either. The shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth was heard saying, “A Labour victory is not going to happen at the election,” in an explosive leaked recording.

The Labour was not lagging in the comedy of errors either. The shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth was heard saying, “A Labour victory is not going to happen at the election,” in an explosive leaked recording. He told a friend to ‘stop worrying’ because Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of winning are ‘dire’, and he added that the party’s reception in some parts of the country had been ‘abysmal’. In the leaked audio, he was heard saying that Jeremy Corbyn is a threat to national security. After the leak, naturally, the Labour frontbencher apologized. He even showed up in the interview to defend himself. Corbyn accepted the apology and said, “John said it’s all about reverse psychology of banter in football supporters; the other person saying the opposite about their party.”

The way Corbyn accepted the apology and praised his critique colleague can be his pure English gentleman manner or maybe pure Machiavellian politics. Though even for neutral observers, it is not easy to compare Corbyn with Machiavelli.

Time has changed. It seems now, “Everything is fair in love, war and politics.”

Ashworth also appeared in a formal interview and said that he was joking and pulling the legs of his old friend, who is a Conservative Party supporter. Ashworth thought him to be an old friend and now he realises he is not.

Ashworth also appeared in a formal interview and said that he was joking and pulling the legs of his old friend, who is a Conservative Party supporter. Ashworth thought him to be an old friend and now he realises he is not. The comedy of an error in the new dimension, certainly.

And this is not the end. Just before the election day, Boris Johnson knocked down a wall to convince voters he can break the ‘gridlock’ in Parliament. The Prime Minister’s stunt involved him driving a JCB digger which had a ‘Get Brexit done’ sign in the bucket. Johnson posed for photos outside the cab before giving a thumbs-up and repeating: ‘Get Brexit done.’ He then left the room without saying any more. The stunt took place at the JCB Cab Manufacturing Centre.

Watch and have a moment of a laugh in the following link:

Boris Johnson drives JCB ‘Brexit digger’ through fake wall in election stunt

Johnson became the trendsetter in social media with the phrase ‘fridgegate’ after he was accused of heading into a freezer to avoid a television interview.

On the same day, Johnson became the trendsetter in social media with the phrase ‘fridgegate’ after he was accused of heading into a freezer to avoid a television interview. The episode came as a ‘Good Morning Britain’ reporter attempted to ask questions of Johnson, while he visited the local business Modern Milkman in Yorkshire. Video of the exchange shows reporter Jonathan Swain asking if Johnson would like to come on the program, which is hosted by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid. Johnson’s press secretary was seen using an offensive word and trying to make sure the reporter didn’t get closer to Johnson. When the reporter was pursuing Johnson further, he assured the reporter to be there in a second and went into a walk-in freezer with a group of aids. Conservative sources insisted to The Guardian that Johnson was ‘categorically not hiding’ and that he was instead of finding a private space to prepare for a separate, pre-arranged interview. You can watch this quirky episode in the following link:

We tried one last time to get Mr Johnson on the show for an interview with @piersmorgan and @susannareid100

Valiant effort, @SwainITV 👍👍 pic.twitter.com/oHg9aCmBeb

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 11, 2019

On the election day, Jeremy Corbyn’s Twitter post about ‘personal images from his past’ backfired on the Labour leader. Corbyn tweeted to his 2.3 million followers that ‘personal images from his past’ were due to be released today, adding: ‘Here’s the truth’. However, the link he included takes users to a polling station finder website. His intention was fair and to inspire voters to go to the polling stations. The post, 46 minutes after polls opened, backfired with some Twitter users. But others saw the humour in Corbyn’s tweet, branding it ‘brilliant’ and ‘amazing’.

Later, after Johnson going to the polling station with his dog Dilyn, and without his girlfriend Carrie Symonds, Corbyn posted a photo with his pet cat El Gato.

Boris Johnson has not voted for himself despite a massive tactical campaign to oust him from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.

Boris Johnson has not voted for himself despite a massive tactical campaign to oust him from his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat. He voted at Methodist Central Hall, near Downing Street, at about 8.15 am. His local Tory candidate in the constituency of Cities of London and Westminster Nickie Aiken. Traditionally prime ministers have voted in their own constituencies. He broke the tradition just like his predecessor Mrs May.

At the eleventh hour, Johnson was seen in his constituencies campaigning in South Ruislip.

Later, in a dramatic move Ms. Seymonds was seen urging voters to vote for the Conservatives in the final hours of the election.

The Labour was defeated by The Conservative Party, in the worst-case scenario, since 1935. There is no doubt that in the comedy of errors, The Labour has indeed lost to Johnson.

The Labour was defeated by The Conservative Party, in the worst-case scenario, since 1935. There is no doubt that in the comedy of errors, The Labour has indeed lost to Johnson. We must duly give credit to Johnson for his performance. No British Prime Minister in recent history has ever provided the public with such sense of humour! We, the outsiders from the third world countries, who still consider British politics as the epitome of elegance and excellence have become speechless.

In recent years, British politics has entirely become entertainment. We laugh at their comedy of errors and pity British people. We feel sorry to see the apparent heartlessness in politics. But it is not our place to judge. History will judge Johnson’s actions over Jack Williment-Barr and Jack Merritt. In this column, we have cited several incidents, people and individuals. Let’s not judge them by the literary definition of the comedy of errors. Let time be the judge of these incidents and actions.

Photos from the Internet