Celebrate: we have waited so long for this routing of the Tories. An unbearably rare moment of pure political joy | Polly Toynbee
![Celebrate: we have waited so long for this routing of the Tories. An unbearably rare moment of pure political joy | Polly Toynbee](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/50182f6a86ae0321a709d464c8b173c6b5bfc4a1/404_153_2789_1673/master/2789.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7d578fd9ce4a10cb61f45bfd9083dde3)
Out with the scoundrels. There will be time to think about the massive tasks ahead for Labour, but – for now – marvel at what they have done
Hallelujah and hosanna! (If not now, when?) At the stroke of 10, the country knew it had liberated itself from the most contemptible government in living memory. The wreckers, destroyers, bullies, incompetents, cronies and crass self-servers are gone. The Tory reign of error is over; they have no God-given right to rule after all. Torn down by the people’s revenge, they were felled by their own hubris. Since the days of tumbrils and defenestrations are over, the loss of seats and ministerial cars are small punishment for the suffering they deliberately inflicted on millions. The rise in infant mortality is only the most measurable indicator of the large numbers who have died needlessly during their great austerity.
They will skip away to City and company boardrooms unpunished; some prime architects of the worst cruelties had already escaped today’s final humiliation. George Osborne, chief villain, lives high on investment banking and podcasting – the axeman of the arts is now chair of trustees at the British Museum. Before the 2010 election he called accusations that he would cut public spending “a pack of lies”, then made an abattoir of health and education, bankrupted cities, denuded councils, stripped the courts, skinned defence and ripped benefits until food banks became the nation’s social security safety net. For the next 14 years the only growth was in public service decrepitude. That can be repaired in time, but Brexit caused irreparable harm, David Cameron putting the country at risk with a referendum to appease his party’s Europhobes.
Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist
Published this week, The Only Way is Up by Polly Toynbee and David Walker audits Labour’s inheritance and the benchmarks for building a fairer, greener, healthier, more productive and contented Britain. To support the Guardian and Observer, pre-order your copy at guardianbookshop.com
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
Financial Times - World
Lib Dems return record number of MPs after Tory rout
Ed Davey’s party makes biggest gain in seats in its history, defeating two cabinet ministers -
The Guardian - World
‘We rarely see them now’: just how vulnerable are Vanuatu’s dugongs?
A study of the sea cow population in the South Pacific islands is urgently needed, say experts, as numbers fall dramatically. On a bright spring day, the sun dances over the water of Havannah Bay on the island of Efate in Vanuatu. Below the ... -
Financial Times - Business
UK’s political landscape is redrawn but voting has rarely been more volatile
Conservatives lose ground to Labour and the Lib Dems on the left as Reform UK proves itself to be a new threat on the right -
BBC News - Top stories
Tories lost because we failed to deliver - Jenrick
Ex-immigration minister does not rule out running for Tory leader but says focus should be on what went wrong. -
Yahoo News - World
French Green leader: 'We have won and now we will govern'
-
Financial Times - Business
Starmer stands supreme but he cannot ignore the Reform surge
Tories suffer a punishment beating from the voters -
The Guardian - World
Why have there been so many own goals at Euro 2024?
There have been nine own goals at this tournament – as many as the first 15 European Championships combined. By Richard Foster for The Football Mine. When the Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen deflected Randal Kolo Muani’s shot past his own ... -
The Wall Street Journal - World
Why America's Berries Have Never Tasted So Good
Driscoll’s had to figure out how to breed, produce and sell its most flavorful strawberries and raspberries. Now the strategy is starting to bear fruit. -
The Wall Street Journal - Business
Why America's Berries Have Never Tasted So Good
Driscoll’s had to figure out how to breed, produce and sell its most flavorful strawberries and raspberries. Now the strategy is starting to bear fruit.
More from The Guardian
-
The Guardian - World
France election 2024 live: Emmanuel Macron asks Gabriel Attal to stay on as PM for time being amid political deadlock
No obvious candidate to replace Attal after leftwing NFP alliance becomes biggest force in French parliament but fails to win outright majority. Full report: France election: surprise win for leftwing alliance keeps Le Pen’s far right from ... -
The Guardian - World
Le Pen has been defeated by the left, but who will govern France? Our panel responds
Tactical voting kept the far right from election victory – but with gridlock in parliament the future is unclear. France’s snap elections have produced the most fragmented parliament since Charles de Gaulle founded the Fifth Republic. The ... -
The Guardian - World
New Caledonia: historic win for pro-independence candidate in French elections
Indigenous Kanak Emmanuel Tjibaou becomes first pro-independence candidate to win seat in nearly four decades. See all our French election coverageNew Caledonia has elected a pro-independence Indigenous Kanak candidate to France’s parliament for ...France -
The Guardian - World
France’s progressives keep out the far right, but what could happen next?
While the left-green alliance look set to form the largest bloc, country could face years of political paralysis. French election 2024 – liveThe New Popular Front (NFP), a left-green alliance dominated by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left France ... -
The Guardian - World
Ukraine’s biggest children’s medical facility damaged by massive Russian attack on Kyiv, Zelenskiy confirms – live
Ukraine’s president confirms news that Ohmatdyt children’s hospital was seriously damaged as residents urged to go to shelters. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, will conduct face-to-face talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Moscow ...Ukraine