Last Wednesday, July 10, in the program that I have already mentioned more than once in this column, on Capital Radio, with the sonorous title of “The Naked Truth” (FM 105.4 and above all directly on the Internet), and directed by Ramiro Aurín, and collaborators, among whom I include myself, we referred to the double electoral process in London and Paris: the two cities of a Dickens story that we will never forget.
There were no surprises in London, and Labour has the necessary MPs to govern with an absolute majority. Something that was logical after the nonsense of a former prime minister, Cameron, who in 2016 called a referendum that he expected to win, thus consolidating the presence of the United Kingdom in the European Union (EU). But Cameron’s decision backfired and Brexit won, which after a series of painful procedures led to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the four British nations, leaving the EU.
Since then, there has been constant lamentation that a very small proportion of Europhobes took London out of EU history and into an economically difficult and politically confusing situation.
Now we have Keir Starmer, the leader of the active and well-organised Labour Party, at the head of the government of Charles III. With a complete economic and political programme for which he has a cohesive party, still marked by the influence of Tony Blair; without great extremes and an idea of improving relations with the EU, but without at all proposing to end Brexit.
The other city in Dickens’ story is Paris, with election results much more ambiguous than in London. And with a complex outlook that forces us to leave the subject for next week. We’ll see, then.