FOR those in Pakistan watching the self-implosion of the British government, the scenes were familiar: a spate of U-turns, breathless speculation about whether or not the PM is exiting, a change of finance minister in the thick of economic despair, and the pressure to call early elections — the parallels have been tragically uncanny. There was even talk that Tory MPs would stage a coup, a word we know well. But Liz Truss’s resignation after just 44 days in office took the drama to unprecedented levels. Her term will be remembered as catastrophic and her exit humiliating. Her failures are a result of the failure of leadership on her part. It is a moment of self-reflection for the Conservative Party. After a leadership race which saw the party cannabilise itself to appoint a new leader, Tory party members picked and backed Ms Truss. It was her plans for tax-cutting and growth that won their support versus those proposed by Rishi Sunak. But these plans sent UK markets into a spiral. Analysts say they reflect a misunderstanding of how markets work and how fragile the UK economy is. Instead of taking this opportunity to accept its collective failure to appoint a competent leader and go for a general election, the Tory party is once again scrambling to find a new face to lead the country at a time of serious economic hardship. The new leader will have the party’s vote, but not the people’s mandate.
Though a cloud of despair hangs over the UK as a harsh winter approaches, there are signs that democracy, though complicated, still works in Britain. What happened to Ms Truss is unusual. Her approval ratings fell drastically, unlike Donald Trump’s, for instance, whose popularity remained intact no matter what he did. There are also lessons for Pakistan, where many civilian and non-civilian office-bearers cling to power, oblivious to their failings. The coming weeks will show how much stability the next PM can bring to the UK, and whether British politics can regain its lost stature.
Published in Dawn, October 22th, 2022
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