There has been a lot of speculation as to why May has done a massive U turn and called for a general election on June 8th. A fair few people think it may have something to do with the ongoing election expenses scandal that’s dogging the Tory Party: Claims May called an election to escape Tory expenses scandal – https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/04/claims-may-called-an-election-to-escape-tory-expenses-scandal/ The Crown Prosecution Service is currently investigating claims that up to 20 Tory MPs broke spending limits during the 2015 general election.

If these MPs were prosecuted and had to stand down thereby forcing by-elections, the government’s slim majority would have been made considerably slimmer or possibly even wiped out. Given that May is facing enough grief trying to negotiate a Brexit deal, the thinking is that she’s taking a gamble on a general election in the hope that the Tories will get a big enough majority to give her the support she needs. What May has done is a crass act of cynicism – no surprise there as she’s a politician.

The right wing element in the media have gone into overdrive with talk about ‘crushing opponents’ and the like. No surprise there either, that’s what rags like the Daily Mail do. The problem is that the predictable hype from the right wing gutter press has led to a level of hysteria among Labour supporters, particularly Momentum activists, who are pretty much implying that it’s our duty to vote Labour on June 8th. Even some people we thought were ‘comrades’ are falling for this, saying that we need to set aside our anarchist principles and cast a vote for Labour.

If you want to see examples of principles being abandoned, take a look at any Labour run council in London and the way they’re jumping on the re-generation gravy train, sucking up to the property developers and becoming complicit in socially cleansing the poor from the capital. This is just one example of what a Labour run London council is doing and how it impacts on the housing crisis out here on the estuary and beyond: The housing domino effect… – https://southessexstirrer.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/the-housing-domino-effect/ Tamely going along to a polling station to cast a vote for Labour as the ‘lesser of two evils’ will do sod all to bring about change.

This is the best chance we’ve had in ages to send a message to the political class that we’re sick of their machinations and that we want power from the grassroots upwards. Actively campaigning for a boycott of the election or mass spoiling of ballot papers will, if we can get the numbers, send a chill up the spines of the political class. If the turnout drops towards the 50% level, that sends out a massive signal that people are losing faith in the system and that whatever government gets elected, they will have no meaningful legitimacy.

When you have a government with no real legitimacy, when the shite hits the fan as austerity tightens its grip, it’s only a few steps from this to starting to make the country ungovernable. When the country starts to become ungovernable as a government with no legitimacy starts to get ever more grief trying to push through austerity, that’s when we can start to get meaningful system change on to the agenda. Basically, there’s everything to play for… Now is the time to think creatively about how we can lob a sodding great spanner into the works!