Following the week’s elections in Britain and France, the centre has held for now, but it’s clear incumbents face severe challenges.
With exit polls predicting a landslide win, new PM Keir Starmer’s dull but steady approach seems to have paid off, but what does it mean for UK politics, and the rest of the world?
While a UK Labour government would undoubtedly pursue closer alignment with the European Union, there are strategic and ideological reasons that will keep the UK engaged in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the time warp that’s the current state of British politics, another prime minister has gone, but the same party, bereft of ideas, is still in office, clinging to power for its own sake.
The Conservative Party is hopelessly stuck in the 1980s, and it may yet be the undoing of Liz Truss as prime minister.
Neither Scott Morrison nor Anthony Albanese has so far impressed with strong leadership skills – but the Labor leader may offer a different style of leadership that might suit the times.
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