May stuttered to the line in shambolic election campaign

W HEN Theresa May announced this week’s snap UK election seven weeks ago, it was deemed a foregone conclusion she could win a solid majority; with some predicting up to 100 seats.

She would therefore be able to work on achieving an amicable deal on Brexit by neutralising the threat from fringe elements in the Tory party.

She was commended for getting the business of a general election ‘out of the way’ now, rather than in 2020; the risk being that Brexit negotiations would likely be at a particularly messy point and an election would be a distraction, not to mention politically inexpedient.

With a forceful majority it would strengthen her hand – in Westminster at least – during talks with Brussels. And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn posed zero threat. He doesn’t even have the full confidence of his own party.

Perhaps it was too long a lead-in time, but Mrs May’s election has been anything but plain sailing.

It was supposed to be the Brexit election where Mrs May could demonstrate her negotiation skills and political nous. Within days, cracks appeared.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reported she was “living on another galaxy”, after an ill-fated dinner in Downing Street.

To which Mrs May went nuclear by accusing European politicians and officials of “interfering” in the election. Things got worse when the Conservative leader was forced to make a U-turn just days after the release of the Tory manifesto on one of its key policies dealing with social care for

the elderly. “I don’t think it was the most brilliant campaign that I’ve seen”, admitted Tory MEP Charles Tannock. “Questions will be asked about how it was drawn up; but it was all done in a bit of a hurry, so that was a disadvantage,” he told the Irish Independent.

On two occasions, campaigning was suspended by most parties as a mark of respect after terror incidents, in Manchester and London.

It is not clear how much of an impact, if any, these heinous attacks had on voters, but Mrs May’s record as prime minister for the last year, as well as home secretary for six years, has been brought in to focus.

Her response to the demand for better security measures was a vow to rip up human rights legislation.

Throughout the campaign she was criticised for shying away from debating the derided Labour leader.

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn’s stock has risen, albeit from an astonishingly low base. In contrast to the Tory’s manifesto shambles, Corbyn-ites loudly extolled the virtues of Labour’s offering. “For the many, not the few”, they chanted during a rally in Birmingham where he was introduced by writer and comedian Steve Coogan.

Warming up the crowd, Coogan called Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson an “upper-class Tory twit”. And said Mrs May had the “charisma of a pancake”.

“I’m really proud – as is everyone I know is, that Jeremy is their MP” said Susan Thompson in Mr Corbyn’s constituency of Islington. “He is just like us; there’s no pretence.”

In spite of a weak Tory campaign, Mr Corbyn’s new-found popularity among some was probably not enough to change the fundamentals of who leads Britain. The Conservatives “made a mess of Brexit, but it’s done now, and we need a party to take us through, not one that’s in-fighting”, said Aaron after voting Tory in Westminster. “I’ve voted for all parties in the past, and as much as I don’t like the Tories, Labour couldn’t do any better,” he said. Shona Murray is foreign correspondent with Newstalk