Shropshire Star

General Election comment: EU bosses definitely enjoying a laugh on us

Bong went Big Ben at 10pm. Cue what we had all been waiting for - the exit poll.

Published

It meant you could go to bed safely knowing the result without having to listen to hours of padding and what-iffing from the TV commentators and any politicians they managed to drag in.

And when that exit poll came, it was a sensation to spark wild celebrations among Labour supporters. They'd lost!

As the real results involving real candidates started to roll in, the reality of the triumph became apparent.

A beaming Jeremy Corbyn was walking on air. At Islington North he landed over 40,000 votes. All to himself - a record for the seat. This is a huge personal mandate.

"Politics has changed," he declared. "Politics isn't going back into the box where it was before."

Yes, this is the new style of politics. This is the genius of Jezza. They all thought he was an unelectable loser. And look at him now. Okay, in terms of forming a majority Labour government, he is still an unelectable loser. But mark his words. Politics has changed.

Losing can be the new winning. As with so much in the modern world, it all depends on where you are "coming from."

Labour was coming from a place so far behind that at one point even Len McCluskey was talking in terms of it getting just 200 seats, which would have been a worse result than even that of Michael Foot in 1983.

Low expectations were far exceeded. Amazingly, it has something of the feel of Tony Blair's 1997 Labour landslide when the Tories collectively looked as if they had been hit in the face with a wet halibut and a number of big Tory names were put to the sword.

Spare a moment to pity the majority of Labour MPs. For them, it is bitter-sweet. All hope has gone of pushing Jezza under an omnibus and getting somebody more to their taste to lead them. They are now going to have to learn to live with a leader in whom the vast majority have no confidence, and explain their change of heart convincingly to the public.

Theresa May in contrast looked ashen behind the forced smile as she stepped up to the podium to hear her personal vote, along with a weird and wonderful line-up of candidates having their five minutes of fame in the limelight.

Remember the place that she had been coming from. She was after a landslide which would provide stability. One of her aides should have told her that these are contradictions in terms.

They obviously still haven't told her as she said again grimly: "The country needs a period of stability."

That is code for something or other. It may be code for: I'm Not Resigning.

She may not have the luxury of having a choice. Tory grandees are probably even now in back rooms plotting. Boris may be brushing his hair and preening himself in a mirror awaiting the call. Nigel Farage said he might make a comeback. Well, you never know.

Mrs May has not been in Prime Ministerial office for a year and has led the Tories into what, in its own particular context, is their most humiliating election result since they were bashed by Tony Blair on that night 20 year ago.

As for that landslide, it was more of a landslip as the Tories saw the ground shift beneath them. This is the exact opposite of what they had been hoping for and it leaves the nation in dire trouble as it marches into times which were uncertain enough.

Brexit may mean Brexit but our negotiators are now up the creek with some inadequate paddles. In Brussels they will be trying to stifle the laughter.

We said a goodbye to Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems. Unsurprisingly he looked shocked and upset, while dignified and gracious in defeat. Tim Farron scraped in. He had some good lines during the campaign but it doesn't look like a call for a new Brexit referendum was among them.

A night of drama then, and a few sensations. We have collectively been plunged into uncertainty, with progress on Brexit potentially being thwarted by obstacles being put in the way by the opposition parties.

What to do? If she survives the next few hours, it is surely time for Mrs May to take one of her famous walks in Snowdonia. She has some thinking to do. About her own position. About the position of the country.

There is a need today more than ever for strong and stable government in the national interest.

Could it be too soon for Theresa May to call another general election?