Reform UK’s Rise: The End of Politics as We Know It?

Counting Votes, Planning Funerals: The Night That Will Define Politics

As the clock strikes the end of polling day, the real drama begins. The votes are cast, the die is thrown, and now we wait with bated breath to see what political Frankenstein’s monster will emerge from this electoral laboratory.

The question isn’t whether Labour will win – that’s as certain as death and taxes (though with Rachel Reeves in No. 11, even taxes for the wealthy might not be so assured). No, the real intrigue lies in who will rise from the ashes of this democratic inferno to become Her Majesty’s Official Opposition.

Make no mistake, this isn’t a Labour triumph. It’s a victory by default, won simply by not being the other lot. Starmer and his merry band of corporate apologists are shuffling into No. 10 on a tide of Tory incompetence and public exhaustion, not a wave of hope.

The true story, the one that will shape our political landscape for years to come, is unfolding in the battle for second place.

Imagine a Parliament where Reform UK stands as the official opposition. It’s a prospect that should send shivers down the spine of every champagne socialist and Tory toff in Westminster. But it’s a beast of their own creation, born from the betrayal of ideological foundations by both major parties.

Reform UK, snapping at the Tories’ heels, represents more than just a protest vote. It’s a primal scream from a populace fed up with being ignored, manipulated, and taken for granted. Their potential surge isn’t just about immigration or nostalgia for a mythical ‘Great’ Britain. It’s the result of years of abandonment by mainstream parties more concerned with focus groups than the concerns of ordinary people.

Of course, I harbour a glimmer of hope for the re-election of firebrands like George Galloway and an independent Jeremy Corbyn. Their voices, however isolated, could provide a much-needed counterpoint to the bland consensus threatening to engulf Westminster.

As for the Tory party, you have to wonder if we’re not so much waiting for election results as we are for funeral arrangements. After 14 years of mismanagement, broken promises, and shameless plutocracy, they’ve driven voters into the arms of Reform UK – a party that at least has the decency to be honest about its right-wing agenda.

But Labour, oh Labour! Don’t think you’re off the hook. Your abandonment of the industrial Heartlands, your craven courtship of the metropolitan elite, have left the working class out in the cold. You’ve traded your soul for a chance at power, and in doing so, you’ve paved the way for Reform’s rise.

But let’s not get carried away with poll predictions. We’ve all seen polls crash and burn more spectacularly than a Boris Johnson interview or a Biden speech.

As the counting begins, we stand on the brink of a potential seismic shift in British politics. Whether Reform UK emerges as the official opposition or not, their influence will be felt. The Westminster bubble-dwellers might want to hold off on ordering that expense-account champagne just yet. In the end, this election isn’t just about a changing of the guard.

It’s about the potential reshaping of our entire political landscape. So, as we wait for the results, remember: the funeral we’re planning might not just be for the Tory party, but for politics as we’ve known it. And perhaps, just perhaps, that’s not such a bad thing.

Paul Knaggs

Editor, founder, Labour Heartlands, Citizen journalist. LeFT wing political refugee. Fighting a constant struggle with dyslexia that’s overcome with a burning desire to speak out against the corrupt political system and the social injustices it creates. Advocate for Free speech and open, accountable, democracy. #GTTO