May is reaping what she sowed

THE strangest election campaign in living memory has been buffeted by contrary tides and strange currents. And it has left us all on a strange shore.

It appears Theresa May’s gamble, designed to give her a strong hand over Brexit in both Parliament and Europe, has backfired spectacularly. Jeremy Corbyn, it seems, is the man of the hour, even in defeat.

The tides of British isolationism, nationalism, left-wing radicalism and generational and geographical division have ebbed and swirled across the country in the last six weeks.

And twice in the campaign, we have faced the revolting reality of terrorism.

The effect has been to leave Britain, and the Westminster parliament, marooned on the beach of what could be a hung parliament at a time when real strength and stability are needed to steer us through the treacherous waters of Brexit.

It may or may not now fall to May to take the nation across this historic Rubicon. But she has shown herself to be unworthy of, and unfit for, that job.

Like David Cameron before her, she has weakened and divided the country in a vain, misguided attempt to get right-wing, isolationist Tories off her back.

The SNP may find their drive towards independence blunted by this result, although that will not prevent Nicola Sturgeon from trying to take advantage of a vacuum at Westminster.

There are lessons for her, mostly domestic, to take from the campaign. The biggest one, judging by voter reaction, is that the independence question must be put on the back burner for some time to come.

Corbyn looks to have ended up with a larger share of the vote, and more MPs, than either Ed Miliband or Gordon Brown before him.

That would be a stunning achievement by a man almost universally written off as a no-hoper before the campaign began.

But a central truth remains. Not to have won against such an abject Prime Minister, against a Tory campaign which U-turned and wobbled and faltered, at a time when the UK’s global standing is in jeopardy, is by many measures a failure.

Corbyn has campaign charisma. He fought honourably against the odds, he confounded his strongest critics, but he has not won. And when Labour don’t win, ordinary people lose.

The radical Labour manifesto got support from large parts of the population. It seems, from the young in particular.

But to win, and remember Labour win so rarely under the Westminster system, the party have to be more than radical.

They have to be innovative, they have to reach out to the middle class, they have to be a trusted, truly one-nation party. They have done it before, but not this time.

This strangest of election campaigns ended up being an old-school right-left fight.

May was brought up short by her own core vote and exposed as a weak leader with poor judgment. If this finishes her, she won’t be missed.

Labour have reasserted their traditional values. But despite a truly creditable showing, they must broaden their appeal.