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General election 2019: There is no winner in a deadlocked democracy

Thought Leader: Niall Ferguson
December 10, 2019
Source: Link

By Niall Ferguson (Original source The Times)

“In elections, we expect there to be a winner. At some point in the early hours of Friday 13th, we assume, either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn will hoarsely address a crowd of exhausted but exhilarated supporters, declaring victory and promising — depending on which of them wins — either to get Brexit done or to do in the bourgeoisie.

But what if it’s a draw? This may seem an absurd question, but I don’t think it is. A lot of things in life are draws. In the English Premier League last weekend, four out of 10 matches were draws. Last season’s frenzied Calcutta Cup game at Twickenham was a draw. Why are elections never draws?

This one could be. Yes, I know, according to the poll of polls, the Conservatives are 10 points ahead of Labour. Johnson may be a bluffer who can’t face another grilling by Andrew Neil, but Corbyn is irreparably tainted by association with anti-semitism. This should all end with a nice, fat, double-digit Tory majority.”

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