Out For The Count

I'm not exactly surprised at the results of two elections held over the last two days. I suspected the ruling party were likely to poll higher than they managed in 2011 in Singapore's General Election, and that proved to be the case. My guess is that more was involved there than simply a reaction to SG 50 and the death of Lee Kuan Yew, though that's where lazy commentators are likely to go in their analyses. I reckon that the development of a relatively liberal climate in the nation and the sense that the ruling party was genuinely trying to listen to its citizens went a long way in securing this landslide. I read one or two commentaries mentioning the authoritarianism of the state and the lack of free speech, but it doesn't feel that way to me, and I'm guessing the same is true for a lot of other folk on the island.

Mind you, I've been treated to some highly intelligent analyses of the politics of the city state in the last few weeks of which quite a few were bitingly critical of the government, and I'm sure the place isn't going to stand still in terms of its political growth in the next decade or so. I reckon the political scene is going to get a lot more interesting than it might appear at present.

The result of the other election, for the Labour Party leadership back in the UK, looks a lot less rational than developments in this Far Place. It's useful to try and ensure your party is electable if you're interested in real political action, a lesson Old Labour found difficult to understand, and which their heirs appear to be struggling with.