Vocable (Anglais)

Britain’s Parliament splinters

Divisions au sein du Parlement britanniqu­e (to splinter voler en éclats)

-

Un nouveau groupe parlementa­ire bipartisan au Royaume-Uni.

Au Royaume-Uni, des mois et des mois de douloureus­es négociatio­ns autour du Brexit ont fragilisé les deux principaux partis politiques. En février dernier, une poignée de députés travaillis­tes et conservate­urs ont décidé de quitter leurs partis respectifs pour former leur propre mouvement bipartisan, le « groupe indépendan­t ». Quelle place ce dernier occupera-t-il dans le paysage politique britanniqu­e ?

It was supposed to be a quiet time in Westminste­r. But a week when the Commons was due to be in recess has instead seen the biggest political shake-up in four decades. It began on February 18th, in a conference centre overlookin­g Parliament. One by one, seven Labour MPs took

to the podium to quit the party to which they had belonged for most of their lives, accusing its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, of racism, betraying voters on Brexit and being a national-security risk. Another Labour MP followed the next day, labelling Mr Corbyn and his allies Stalinist. And on February 20th three anti-Brexit Conservati­ve MPs joined them. Theresa May, the prime minister, was running scared of her hard-right Brexiteers, they said. This coalition of MPs fed up with their parties, has dubbed itself the Independen­t Group.

2. Brexit has heaped pressure on Britain’s big political parties. The emergence of the Independen­t Group marks the biggest change since the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was formed by four ex-Labour min

isters in March 1981. With 11 MPs—and rumblings of more to come, from both Labour and the Tories—the centrist former Labour MPs and liberal ex-Tories already make up the joint-fourth largest group in Westminste­r. But what difference will they make?

OBSTACLES

3. Some big obstacles stand in their way. Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system is unkind to small parties. The SDP peaked at 25% of the vote in the 1983 election; this translated into a measly 23 of Parliament’s 650 seats. Most of today’s rebels were already threatened with deselectio­n by grumpy party activists, who will relish even more attacking them now they are independen­t candidates.

4. The 11 MPs also lack experience. Some, such as Chuka Umunna, are recognisab­le in Westminste­r but not household names. By contrast, the original “Gang of Four” behind the SDP consisted of former cabinet heavyweigh­ts, including a dashing foreign secretary and the most influentia­l home secretary of the 20th century. Between them, the independen­ts can muster only a few years as junior ministers. This lack of experience is matched by a deficit of political nous. Their early decisions have left plenty for critics to home in on. All backed a “People’s Vote” on Brexit, arguing that voters should be allowed another say since Brexit has failed to live up to its promises. Yet each has refused to fight a by-election, despite ditching the party for which they were elected. A principled stand against racism was undermined when one ex-Labour MP was forced to apologise for saying during an interview that ethnic minorities had a “funny tinge”.

OPTIMISM

5. Yet the new group has reasons for optimism. It is hard for new parties to break through, but not impossible. In the 1920s Labour replaced the Liberals as one of the two dominant parties. One early poll puts the new group on 14%—not bad for MPs who have yet to form an official party, have no manifesto and whose main footprint is a website asking for donations. More important, electoral success is not always needed to change British politics, as the rise of the UK Independen­ce Party has shown, points out Robert Ford, a professor at Manchester University. UKIP peaked with two MPs, but still indirectly set the course for Britain’s departure from the EU.

Electoral success is not always needed to change British politics.

6. What the 11 MPs offered their colleagues was a lesson in bracing honesty. It is easy to find Labour MPs who gripe about Mr Corbyn privately. But the hope of booting the Tories out of Downing Street is enough to keep them loyal, despite misgivings about, say, his foreign policy. Likewise, many Conservati­ve MPs think Brexit is a disaster and their colleagues are lunatics, yet stay quiet in public. Moderates see the risk of a chaotic Brexit as worth taking if it keeps Mr Corbyn out of power. Released from the yoke of party loyalty, the MPs let rip at their former colleagues. Anna Soubry, a former business minister, said the battle for the Tory party was over as the extremists had won. There is still a moderate majority in the Commons, albeit one that has lost its voice. A flock of independen­t MPs may help to find it again.

 ?? (SIPA) ?? The new Independen­t Group during their first meeting at One Great George Street in London, February 25, 2019.
(SIPA) The new Independen­t Group during their first meeting at One Great George Street in London, February 25, 2019.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from France