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British Politics just cannot keep up.
Be it the Conservatives’ calamitous handling of the pandemic, Liz Truss’s mini budget, or Labour’s sudden increase in defence spending at the expense of foreign aid, every decision, every calculation is inherently reactionary. British Politics is structurally unable to cope with constant crises, and it is starting to show.
The International Monetary Fund announcing that Britain’s economy will experience the worst economic effects from the crisis in Iran, in comparison to the rest of the G7, is the latest such example. This damning report once again thrusts the issue of reactionary politics back into the spotlight highlighting the desperate need for a unilateral, bipartisan culture shift.
Instead, every major political party in the UK is promoting more of the same, more quick fixes rather than long term solutions. And every time a crisis is navigated in the same way it thrusts Britain deeper into debt and long-term economic downturn.
The collapse of the two-party system is another symptom of this culture with the resurgence of the far left and development of the far right. The polarisation of politics within the UK is not driven by a gulf of opinion but created by the culture of crisis reaction, attempting short term remedies at the expense of long-term progress.
With heightened media scrutiny and the advent of social media, politicians seek “quick wins” arguably for personal political gain rather than the best interests of the nation. This creates a culture that demands that every crisis be reacted to with an immediate fix to paper cracks rather than absorbing crises for the benefit of systemic change.
It is impossible to ignore or let every crisis pass by without some sort of reaction, but Britain’s economic state should not be dictated by the whim of the Orange Man across the pond. If long term economic policies were sought after and, more importantly, followed through on then the British economy would not feel the effects of the international crisis so sorely.
While this may lead to short term stagnation, it appears a worthwhile trade-off for long term stability. The government must recognise that the British people are increasingly frustrated by every budget heralding a complete shift in policy (and more inevitable tax rises), all because of some new crisis.