Feudal Future Podcast: British Elections—European Populism and Its Impact on the UK

Joel Kotkin and Marshall Toplansky — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 17:34:03 -0400

Labour's unexpected triumph and the Conservative Party’s dramatic collapse signal a seismic shift in British politics. Join us as Tom Slater, editor of Spiked, dissects the election results, revealing how Labour managed to capture victory with just 34% of the vote and the implications of the Conservative Party's loss to the right-wing Reform Party. We also draw fascinating parallels with France's left-wing surge led by Jean Mélenchon's coalition, shedding light on the broader European trend of establishment parties banding together against populist movements.

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This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.

Former London Mayor Blames Jewish Vote for Labour Loss

Wendell Cox — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 20:52:47 -0500

The Daily Mirror (London) headline reads: “Ken Livingstone says it's 'the end' for Jeremy Corbyn and blames 'Jewish vote'” Livingstone, the former two-term mayor of London commented on the landslide Jeremy Corbyn Labour Party loss, saying “The Jewish vote wasn’t very helpful.”

Numbers may not be the former mayor’s strength. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his Tories racked up a 2.7 million electoral majority in the election. Of course, British parliamentary elections, like American presidential elections are not determined by the popular vote. It is not known how many voters among the 650 constituencies would need to have changed their votes for Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn to become prime minister.

However, the vote margin dwarfs any possible number of Jewish votes. The Jewish population of the United Kingdom is estimated at under 300,000. If Jews voted in the same proportion as other UK citizens, there would have been fewer than 150,000 votes. Even if it is assumed that cutting the Johnson total in half, it would have required the unanimous votes of nine times as many Jews as live in the United Kingdom to have permitted Corbyn to move into #10 Downing Street.

Livingstone was indefinitely suspended by the Labour Party and reportedly faced “a full probe into his alleged anti-Semitism” (see: “Ken Livingstone suspended from Labour indefinitely and will face full anti-Semitism probe”). Livingston subsequently resigned from the Party.

Johnson succeeded Livingstone in the mayor’s office and also served two terms, before entering parliament and now winning the election to earn a full term.