“Are You Two Really the Best We’ve Got?”

 by Marinela P

Robert Blackstone during the election debate hosted by the BBC asked the question that summed up the entire election: “Are you two really the best we’ve got?”. 

Well Robert, the answer is probably no, there are likely more competent leaders out there lurking, but unlikely to come out of hiding anytime soon. Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer most definitely are not the best the country has to offer, but at the moment they do seem to be the bravest, both battling to become the PM of a country with a mountain of issues, starting with the dire state of the economy, a broken NHS, an education system that works for the few and waters filled with sewage. Britain is in need of such a dramatic renovation that it is no surprise that many are shying away from the task. Starmer will certainly have his hands full when he replaces Sunak next week. 

With less than 4 days until the general election , we would be expecting our leaders to be pulling out all the stops to win over voters. But Sunak has spent what will likely be his last weekend as PM repeating the same beige policies, Sunak has settled comfortably into the notion that the conservatives will lose the election. Whilst this is realistic, it has led to a poor election campaign from the Conservatives. With polls suggesting a labour landslide the conservatives are putting in a half-hearted effort in this campaign: Sunak could not be bothered to maintain a positive public image by staying for the entirety of the D-day celebration in France, there has also been little effort to bat away the betting allegations. Sunak knows there is little point in it, the damage has already been done, 14 years of Tory cronyism has displayed to the public that the conservatives are not a party to be trusted.

Whilst Sunak’s election performance has been sub-par, Starmer has not taken the opportunity to take the currently vacant spotlight in this election. Rather, he has been hiding behind the curtains, peeping out cautiously, not wanting to make a mistake that could put the labour campaign in jeopardy. Apart from the small Dianna Abbot hiccup at the beginning of the election, the labour campaign has been fine. Fine, but not inspiring. Fine, but lacking greatly in vision. A fine campaign will mean that Starmer will win the election, but won’t be marked in the history books as having the same charisma and presence as Blair. Starmer in power will mean that Tory chaos will stop, but he will not be the PM that will go down in the history books as saving Britain. He does not have a hero presence to him, after a succession of conservative PMs that have brought mayhem, boring perhaps is necessary. Boring will bring stability, however it will not deliver the change that the country desires. 

So “are they really the best we’ve got?”, well when looking at the other candidates it appears so. Nigel Farage, the current leader of the reform party, has been repeating the same dull and offensive policies on immigration. Not only does the party lack cohesive policy ideas - there has also been a lack of proper vetting of candidates. The Reform party has become an embarrassment with candidates spewing hateful rhetoric on migrants, so racist in fact that even Farage hung his head in shame.

It is not just the British General election that is lacking in inspiring candidates. After the Presidential debate between Biden and Trump, Americans were likely asking the same question “Are you two really the best we’ve got?”. The choice for Americans being either a convicted criminal or a tired OAP . 

2024 will be marked as the year of elections where no candidate is particularly appealing. There has been an overwhelming lack of personality in British politics this election, with debates and question times becoming so predictable many don’t feel the need to tune in. We know Starmer came from working class parents, we know Sunak’s parents owned a pharmacy. But repeating the same lines isn’t gaining voters, it's switching people off. 

So Robert  “are these two really the best we’ve got?”, no they aren’t, but the country is going to have to make do. Starmer will come in, not because he’s overwhelmingly popular, or because of innovative policy. He’ll become PM because people can’t vote Tory again. The country will be in safe hands under Starmer, but we won’’t be waiting for anything revolutionary.