“I believe that the foundation of de- mocratic liberty is a willingness to believe that other people may perhaps be wiser than oneself” - Clement Attlee THE POLITEIA • 0003 • July 21 Published July 2021 Chief Editors Alexander Chopra and Neel Patel Contributing Writers Neel Patel, Alexander Chopra, Jasper Heikkila and Kinshuk Jain Front-Cover Design Jack Godwin Back cover image attributable to PIXNIO We would also like to thank… Mr Lissimore for helping and advising us on publishing the magazine Dr Meddelton and Mr Ormonde for their continued inspiration and support. Contents 4 Prominent Events by Alex Chopra Johnson: Changing the Tories or Voter 6 Perception? by Alex Chopra Can we ‘Gamify’ Politics? 8 by Neel Patel Renew Labour—not re–New Labour 11 by Alex Chopra Legacies of Prime Ministers—How Can 14 We Measure ‘Greatness’? by Jasper Heikkila To What Extent Should People be 17 Offered Freedom? by Kinshuk Jain Prominent Events Alexander Chopra Politics, by nature, is never something truly predictable. Nevertheless, here at The Politeia we have compiled a collection of articles about events that dominate current affairs and will prove pertinent to upcoming developments to help guide you through the upcoming weeks and months. Relaxation of Covid-19 Restrictions The Government has announced its intentions to continue with the restriction-easing “roadmap” without further delay, suggesting that any legal requirements on social behaviour (such as mask-wearing) will be removed. Boris Johnson before Covid Press This has caused divisions both inside and outside Government. Whilst Briefing [Simon Dawson, No. 10 Downing Street Office] ministers have sought to maintain clear support for the policy decision, it has been noted that different tones have been struck by its different members. Boris Johnson, for example, has—in his usual triumphant style—announced it as a “freedom day” - a sentiment seeming endorsed by the new Health Secretary, Sajid Javid. Contrastingly, the Vaccines’ Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has continued to stress the need for ‘common sense’ and suggested that continuing to follow guidelines such as wearing a mask would be the ‘common sense’ option. Outside Parliament, such a shift has caused both jubilation and concern. The effectiveness of the vaccinations appears to have reduced the harm of Covid-19 to individuals, though many more cautious scientists have warned that the link between infection and death is not (as Boris Johnson stated in Parliament) “severed” but merely weakened and the threat of ‘long Covid’ still remains highly prevalent, especially among the young and unvaccinated. Socially, the easing of restrictions will—undoubtedly—allow greater mixing from a legal point of view, yet many argue the lifting of restrictions will actually have a counter-intuitive effect of preventing some socialising as the more vulnerable may fear the greater risks to which they become exposed to. Public Examination Results Tuesday 10th August marks the day when A-level students are due to receive their results whilst GCSE students will receive theirs on Thursday the 12th. The Government and parents alike will be hoping that their choice to commit to a ‘Centre-Controlled Testing’ system will have proved more efficient and amenable compared to last year’s chaos. However, there are suspicions that this system will result in somewhat inflated grades, causing great strain for tertiary education providers who will be inundated with applicants of typically ‘successful’ nature. If this year’s testing system causes substantial difficulties, pre-existing pressure on Gavin Williamson to resign Education Secretary Gavin from his job may further increase and force such a move. Williamson [No 10] 4 Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party— “Labour is back”? Sir Keir Starmer’s position as leader of the Labour Party has been somewhat fragile throughout his incumbency but particularly after the mixed 2021 local election results. The Batley and Spen by-election of the 1st July was described by many as Starmer’s final test, stating his position would be completely untenable had the Labour seat been lost. Fortunately for Sir Keir, Kim Sir Keir Starmer at the Leadbeater retained the seat for the party despite increased challenges such as 2020 Labour Leadership George Galloway’s candidacy and competition for left-wing votes, earning Contest [Rwendland] Starmer some more time as he announced “Labour is back”. Nevertheless, pressure remains on him to fully devise a vote-winning manifesto and strategy with the party split on whether he should shift the party’s stance to the political ‘left’ or ‘right’ (Page 8). As Covid-19, perhaps, begins to take a less prominent position in the news, Sir Keir Starmer may take the opportunity to outline his party’s visions for the future. Centenary of the Communist Party of China Whilst official celebrations have already begun, on the 23rd of July, China’s ruling political party will celebrate its 100th anniversary, marking a significant moment in Chinese history as the country continues to grow and prove increasingly influential on international affairs. The nature of these relationships will not only be determined China’s own stance, but also that of the United States of America as the new President Xi Jin- President Joe Biden is yet to fully solidify his view of China and whether he continues ping [Indian Gov- ernment] his predecessor’s more hostile approach. Anglo-American Withdrawal from Afghanistan Both British and American military personnel will continue with their withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, has confirmed that by August, most UK troops will have left the country alongside US troops. The impact of such a withdrawal is, as of yet, not entirely known but there are significant fears that the political American troops withdrawing situation in the region will worsen again as the Taliban continues to from Afghanistan [John Moore] make gains and reports suggest girls are already being denied education in certain areas. Angela Merkel’s Departure After holding the role of German Chancellor for over fifteen years, Angela Merkel is due to step down from her role as one of Europe’s most prominent leaders after having announced in 2018 that she would not seek re-election in the upcoming September elections. Instead, the new leader of her Christian Democratic Union Party, Armin Laschet, will seek to succeed her in the role. Merkel has become something of a Angela Merkel in 2008 [Aleph] symbol of stability in uncertain times, having managed numerous European crises from, more recently, Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, whilst other leaders have come and gone. It remains to be seen whether anyone else will be able to emanate her staying power and how far her departure may disrupt or influence German and wider European political stability. 5 Johnson: Changing the Tories or Voter-perception? A Review of the Party’s Political Policy Stance Alexander Chopra All political parties, rightfully or wrongfully, fall victim to certain negative generalisations and accusations. For the Labour Party, for example, it is the perception that they are too economically naïve and spend taxpayer money too readily and, thus, mismanage the Economy. Conversely, the Conservatives have often earnt themselves the title of the ‘nasty party’, too brutal and uncompromising in its pursuit of “balancing the books”, leaving social welfare ignored and diminished. In order to gain or maintain power, a party must collectively disprove the generalisations, usually by distancing itself from past events that have led to such perceptions. Boris Johnson has attempted, and arguably succeeded, at doing so by emphasising his own credentials as an immense patriot and a more liberal progressive keen for social mobility and justice. But how much are these the true characteristics of the modern Conservative Party, or is it—more cynically—incredibly good “spin”? Outlined below are opposing views on certain areas of Conservative policy. Patriotism? A key part of the Johnson Government has been the idea of impassioned love and pride in the United Kingdom. Indeed, ostensibly, such patriotism seems integral to all that occurs from the smaller, more symbolic details such as the exponential increase in flag usage to more substantial matters like the continued use of the Brexiteer of “taking back control”. The Johnson Government has even commissioned the [Javad Zarif] building of a £200 million yacht to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia (which was retired in 1997) to aid international trade discussions and promote “the best of British”. All these individual acts would seem to suggest an overwhelming patriotic love for the country and the prioritisation and keenness to demonstrating the best aspects of so-called ‘Global Britain’ to the international community. Yet many argue, at best, these actions are superficial and can, thus, be branded ‘vanity projects’ with no real effect or, at worst, the Conservative Government policy has actively weakened and destroyed the UK’s integrity and reputation. It has been suggested projects such as the commissioning of a new yacht will have no impact on trade levels or international perception of the UK even though such an act might have done so decades ago, as the modern world sees trade deals struck in a variety of different ways, including through virtual means online and so the ability or need to flatter counterparts with luxurious yachts and entertainment to gain favourability has been forever diminishing. The Government’s deliberate failure to adhere to or maintain previous agreements in the so-called “national interest” has also been strongly criticised across the political spectrum as ruining the UK’s reputation of integrity. These acts include the Government’s admission that they intended to break the law “in a specific and limited way” in relation to EU dealings and the recent decision not to adhere to its obligation to its obligation to give 0.7% of its GDP in international aid but reduce its expenditure to 0.5%.