Voters do the dog on it in hope of finding a way out after years of Brexit stagnation
BRITONS who have endured more than three years of wrangling over their country’s messy divorce from the European Union cast ballots yesterday in an election billed as a way out of the Brexit stalemate in a deeply divided nation.
On a dank, grey day with outbreaks of blustery rain, voters went to polling stations in schools, community centres, pubs and town halls after a five-week campaign rife with mudslinging and misinformation.
At a fish market in the eastern England port of Grimsby, seafood company owner Nathan Godley summed up the hopes of many that, one way or another, the election would provide a pathway to a resolution of Brexit.
“I think we’ve all got a bit weary of the politicians over the last few years really, and I think having a government with a majority to give them the clout to actually do what they want is a good thing,” he said.
It seemed the election was going to the dogs as voters took their pooches to polling stations up and down the country. Prime Minister Boris Johnson voted near his Downing Street residence in London accompanied by his dog, Dilyn.
The city’s mayor Sadiq Khan followed Mr Johnson’s lead, posting a video of himself and his dog Luna at a polling station while urging people to vote.
By early afternoon #dogsatpollingstations was trending on Twitter as owners followed suit.
Photos showed dogs dressed up in costumes from a bumble bee to Santa Claus. One was festooned with festive lights, reflecting the timing of the election less than two weeks from Christmas.
It was not clear how many of the dogs got into voting booths. The UK electoral commission says animals, with the exception of assistance dogs, “are not usually allowed inside polling stations”.
Meanwhile, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg urged the country to look beyond Brexit.
“Every election is a climate election. Vote for your children; vote for the planet; vote for future generations; vote for humanity,” Thunberg tweeted the day after ‘Time’ magazine selected her as its youngest ever Person of the Year.
The two main parties were offering voters starkly different visions of the future.
Mr Johnson campaigned relentlessly on a promise to “get Brexit done”, and promised a modest increase in public spending, while Labour vowed to tax the rich, nationalise industries such as rail and water companies, and give everyone free internet access.
In Uxbridge, the suburban London seat that Mr Johnson represents in parliament, Stefan Hay said he was voting for the prime minister despite his flaws.
“At the end of the day, whether you like him or not with all of his eccentricities, I think he has leadership ability and I think he is the best man for the job,” Mr Hay said.
Many voters said they were backing Labour because of its stance on social issues. “If the Tories win, this country will just fall apart,” said Eleanor Sawbridge Burton, a freelance writer in London.
“It will really hit climate change and the NHS. It feels a bit hopeless.”