Politics
UK General Elections: Major Political Parties and Their Manifestos
UK General Elections: Following the announcement of snap elections by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on May 22, the United Kingdom will go to the polls on July 4.
As part of the election campaign for the 650 seats in the House of Commons, the lower house of the UK Parliament, all parties released manifestos outlining their positions on a variety of issues, including the economy, the National Health Service (NHS), immigration and the UK’s relationship with the European Union.
UK general elections were held in December 2019 when Boris Johnson led the ruling Conservative Party back to power. Upon Sunak’s announcement on May 30, parliament was dissolved and the country was placed under a purdah period, during which civil servants and local governments are prohibited from making announcements about new initiatives or plans that might be considered advantageous to one particular political party. It is important to note, however, that Purdah does not prohibit political candidates from canvassing for votes.
In the run-up to the UK general elections, these are the major political parties – and their promises:
Conservatives
Informally known as the Conservative and Unionist Party or The Tories
Political alignment: centre-right to right
Formed in: 1834
Manifesto: By 2029-2030, we will reduce borrowing and debt, and reduce taxes by 17.2 billion pounds ($22 billion). Spending on the NHS should be increased above inflation and 92,000 additional nurses and 28,000 additional doctors should be recruited. It is recommended that defence expenditures be increased to 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Ensure that post-Brexit relationships in Europe are strengthened. Ensure that there is a binding cap on legal migration and deport asylum seekers arriving by irregular means
Current leader: Rishi Sunak
In power since: 2010 (first five years in coalition with the Liberal Democrats), following David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak
Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 344
Support in latest polls: YouGov, the British company that monitors public opinion and data, reported on June 18 that twenty percent of respondents intend to vote Conservative. In 2019, the Conservative Party received 43 percent of the popular vote.
Labour
Political alignment: centre-left
Formed in: 1900
Manifesto: Introduce a new industrial strategy that emphasizes wealth creation rather than tax increases. Reducing NHS waiting times by adding 40,000 appointments per week, and doubling the number of cancer scanners. Asylum seekers should not be sent to Rwanda as the government plans. Instead, border security should be tightened and relationships with Europe should be improved.
Current leader: Keir Starmer
Last in power: 1997 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 205
Support in latest polls: 36 percent. In 2019, the party received 32 percent of the vote.
Liberal Democrats
Political alignment: centre to centre-left
Formed in: Founded in 1859, the Liberal Party was a powerful force throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Social Democratic Party was founded in 1988 as a combination of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party
Manifesto: Enhance the relationship with the European Union. The focus should be on renewable energy. Physicians should be hired in greater numbers and care workers should be paid more. Spend at least 2.5 percent of GDP on defence. Ensure that the Rwanda scheme is scrapped and that the ban on asylum seekers working is lifted. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and place a mental health professional in every school.
Current leader: Ed Davey
In power: From 2010 to 2015, as part of a coalition with the Conservatives under Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, then leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 15
Support in latest polls: 14 percent. In 2019, the party won 12 percent of the vote.
Greens
Political alignment: left-wing eco-politics
Formed in: 1990
Manifesto: Bring railways, water and energy companies under state control. Increase the NHS budget. Cancel Trident, the UK’s nuclear deterrent program. Rejoin the EU, stop new fossil fuel extraction and rely on wind and solar power. Encourage migrants to settle down and eliminate minimum income requirements for spouses of work visa holders. Scrap university undergraduate fees.
Current leaders: Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay
Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: one
Support in latest polls: 7 percent — a historic high. The party won 1 percent of the vote in 2019.
Reform UK
Political alignment: right wing
Formed in: 2019 (as Brexit Party)
Manifesto [or a contract with voters, as the party calls it]: Removing bureaucracy by scrapping employment laws that make it difficult for employers to hire and fire employees will expedite infrastructure projects. Recruit 30,000 new army staff and increase defence spending. Cut property taxes, offer tax relief on private health care, offer tax relief on front-line NHS and social care staff. Reduce taxes on purchasing real estate. Remove more than 6,700 EU regulations that the UK retained after Brexit. Ban “transgender ideology” in schools. Detain and deport undocumented immigrants.
Current leader: Nigel Farage
Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: one
Support in latest polls: 18 percent. The Brexit Party won 2 percent of the vote in 2019.
Scottish National Party
Political alignment: centre-left
Formed in: 1934
Manifesto: Obtain independence from the United Kingdom by protecting the NHS from privatisation and austerity, increasing investment in hospitals, schools, rail and road infrastructure, scraping Trident, increasing maternity pay, rejoining the European Union, and canceling the Rwandan program. Call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Current leader: John Swinney
Seats in House of Commons in previous parliament: 43
Support in latest polls: 3 percent. It won 4 percent of the vote in 2019.
Plaid Cymru
Political alignment: Centre-left to left wing
Formed in: 1925
Manifesto: Establish fair funding for Wales. Recruit 500 more general physicians. Raise child benefit payments by 20 pounds ($25) per week. Rejoin the EU and the single market.
Current leader: Rhun ap Iorwerth
Seats in House of Commons in previous parliament: three
Support in latest polls: 1 percent. It won 0.5 percent of the vote in 2019.
Politics
Millennials in Canada Have Turned their Backs on Justin Trudeau
Justine Trudeau and his Liberal Party are currently engaged in a fierce battle for second place against Jagmeet Singh’s socialist NDP, as both parties find themselves trailing by 20 points behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
A recent poll indicates that 38% of Canadians consider Trudeau to be the most ineffective leader the nation has encountered in over fifty years. An impressive 47% of Canadian Millennials indicated they would support Poilievre if an election were to take place today, while nearly half of all Canadians express a desire for an election to be called this year.
Pierre Poilievre’s strong appeal among young voters can be attributed primarily to economic factors: soaring inflation, a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and the challenge of housing affordability are pushing many away from the Liberals, who have held power for nearly nine years.
According to UnHeard, Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau due to his stringent measures aimed at controlling the internet to combat alleged disinformation, as well as his climate change initiatives, notably the carbon tax.
An increasing number of Canadians are becoming aware of Trudeau’s ineffective policies and his approach to mass immigration. This past summer, there was significant outrage among parents of teenagers and young adults as they observed their children remaining at home without jobs.
The primary concern stemmed from the fact that most low-skilled and entry-level positions were being filled by unskilled, temporary foreign workers, predominantly from India.
There has been a notable rise in criminal activities linked to international students and unvetted temporary residents who are becoming involved with Punjabi gangs in Canada, contributing to a surge in auto thefts nationwide.
Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are actively seeking to alter Trudeau’s approach to mass immigration and prioritize the construction of more housing should they come into power.
Significantly, Pierre Poilievre is perceived as more trustworthy than Trudeau, with over half of Canadians characterizing Poilievre as “open and honest about his actions, decisions, and intentions,” while only 39% share that sentiment regarding Trudeau.
The characteristics in question may shed light on Poilievre’s favorable polling, particularly among younger voters and women, who have historically leaned towards the Liberals or the NDP rather than the Conservatives.
The Liberal Party’s support has dwindled to an estimated 7% of Canadians, revealing a significant number of disillusioned voters eager for transformation. Poilievre is emerging as the type of leader that resonates with the desires of many Canadians.
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Politics
U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls on Thailand’s Banks to Cut-Off Myanmar Junta
The U.N special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar has said the Bank of Thailand, commercial banks, and the anti-money laundering office are working on measures to stop the Myanmar Junta from acquiring weapons through Thailand’s banking system.
Tom Andrews the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said that some banks commercial in Thailand had aided Myanmar Junta’s by facilitating transactions that supplied military equipment to the Junta through the international banking system.
He called on the Bank of Thailand and financial institutions to do more to stop Myanmar’s junta acquiring weapons which they use on civilians to maintain power.
The special rapporteur was in Bangkok to address a parliamentary committee on security, he called on the Thai government to stop financial transactions that help supply weapons to Myanmar’s junta in line with a plan promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that sets out an end to violence as a first step toward peace.
In his 2023 report “The Billion Dollar Death Trade,” Andrews noted that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar.
Thailand’s Banks Lacked Clear Policy
As a result, exports of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in fiscal year 2022 to just over $10 million over the next 12 months.
However, he said Thailand had no explicit policy position opposing weapons transfer to the Myanmar Junta, which saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double in 2023, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million.
He called on Thai Government to conduct a thorough investigation into transfers as Singapore had done into its companies’ dealings.
Andrews told the the committee that five Thai commercial banks and Thai-based companies were assisting Myanmar’s junta obtain weapons, dual-technology items and jet fuel, enabling Military Junta to conduct atrocities against the people.
But said he had found no evidence that the Thai government was involved or was aware of the transactions or that Thai commercial banks had knowledge.
Banks Condemn Myanmar Junta Violence
Meanwhile representatives from Thailand’s central bank, anti-money laundering office and the commercial banks named in the report were also present at the parliamentary meeting at government house in Bangkok.
A representative of the Bank of Thailand said officials were working with the commercial banks and the anti-money laundering office to make sure that enhanced oversight was properly practiced.
The Thai Bankers Association that was also at the parliamentary meeting said it did not have the means to investigate and monitor such irregularities beyond Thailand’s borders.
Mr. Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, a Thai Bankers Association representative told the committee that If government security agencies tell us, we will stop transactions. We don’t support arms procurement by Myanmar Junta or any military government to violate human rights.
Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and opposition forces but no progress has been made.
This Article was first published in RFA
Politics
People Rushing Sign Online Petition to Impeach South Korea’s President Crash Site
The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea said in a statement that an online petition calling for South Korea’s President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment crashed due to the enormous number of individuals attempting to sign the petition. Saying the National Assembly would resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
Since the petition was launch on the National Assembly’s website on June 20, more than 811,000 people have signed it. The petition urges Parliament to introduce legislation to impeach President Yoon on the grounds that he is unfit for office.
Late on June 30, National Assembly Speaker Mr. Woo Won-shik issued an apology for the disturbance and stated that Parliament would take action to protect the public’s fundamental rights.
People attempting to access the petition on July 1 experienced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that more than 30,000 individuals were waiting to access the site.
South Korea’s Parliament Hesitant
The online petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of conflict with North Korea, and endangering South Koreans’ health by failing to prevent Japan from leaking treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.
By law, Parliament must assign every petition signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which will then decide whether to put it to a vote in the assembly.
However, the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Parliament, is hesitant to turn the petition into an impeachment bill, according to media reports, with a spokesperson stating that the party has yet to address the topic.
The Parliament can impeach a president with a two-thirds majority. The Constitutional Court then deliberates the motion and decides whether to remove or reinstall the president.
Meanwhile, on Monday Reuters reported North Korea criticized a joint military exercise performed this month by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to official media, saying such drills demonstrate the three nations’ alliance has evolved into “the Asian version of NATO”.
On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale combined military drills named “Freedom Edge” featuring navy destroyers, fighter fighters, and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the goal of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines, and air strikes.
The drill was designed at a three-way meeting at Camp David last year to boost military cooperation amid concerns on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s weapons testing.
Pyongyang will not overlook the strengthening of a military bloc led by the United States and its allies, and it would respond aggressively and decisively to defend regional peace, according to North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by KCNA.
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