Cameron finally made it back into office, dumping his Lib-Dem bedfellows in the process. But is this the "sweet victory" hailed by the Tory papers? After all, Cameron just increased his score by 0.8%! And while he's got a majority in the Commons, it is the smallest in history - just 6 actual seats! Tory MPs beware, they'll be no more sickies from now on...
Above all, with less than 2 out of 3 voters turning up, Cameron was elected by less than one fourth of the electorate. If this is not a vote of no-confidence against his policy in government, what is? In any case, it's certainly not a popular mandate!
As to Labour, it increased its score by twice as much as the Tories, but this didn't make up for its losses to the SNP. Some were quick to call for a "return to Blairism". But Labour is really paying for its spinelessness towards the City and for its posturing as a party for the working man despite its pro-business record in office. Why would working class voters trust such a two-faced party? And Miliband's inglorious resignation, as if he cared more for his own career than for his politics, will certainly not enhance the credit of Labour.
The election and the crisis
That Cameron could return to office on the back of such low support is not something unheard of, of course. This has happened many times before with both Labour and Tory "wins". It is due to this undemocratic political system, which is designed to preserve the monopoly of the two main parties.
But what's even more undemocratic - and it probably accounts to a large extent for the low turnout - is the fact that there was no real choice anyway. With the shadow of the crisis hanging over this election, voters were meant to choose between two policies, both of which aimed at keeping corporation tax at a record low and reducing the deficit to zero by 2020. Either way, since there was no question of the bosses paying for their own crisis out of their profits, the working class was still going to foot the bill. What sort of "choice" was that?
The fact that the SNP swept the board in Scotland on a higher turnout, was a vote of no-confidence against the two main parties. But it was also based on the illusion that, due to its anti-austerity rhetoric, the SNP would do better for the working class. As if, just because it drapes itself in the Scottish flag, the SNP was less pro-business than its Westminster rivals!
As to the 3.9 million Ukip voters, most are just maverick Tories. But some working class voters fell for Farage's anti-establishment posturing and his rant against migrant workers. As if Ukip wasn't after the perks of power. And as if it wasn't trying to divert attention from the real cause of the crisis - the bosses and City - by blaming it on a section of the working class! Voting for them was a vote for the enemy.
Our strength was never in the ballot box
In this election, no party stood clearly for working class interests - that is, for the need to force the bosses to pay for their crisis by mobilising our collective strength. Workers didn't have a voice.
Today, with the economic slump continuing - never mind the official gibberish about a "recovery", many workers feel at a loss and do not know what is to be done about it. The blame for this disorientation can be laid partly at the door of the Labour Party. While in government it has always done the bosses' bidding. But aren't the union leaders even more responsible - having offered no perspective to the working class other than to submit to the bosses' attacks, without putting up any resistance?
It is this absence of a fighting perspective, in addition to the main parties' anti-immigrant rhetoric, which paved the way for Ukip to gain some ground in working class areas - with its misleading scape-goating of "foreign" workers . And while this is still marginal, it is nevertheless a threat to the unity of our class and should be opposed with all our energy.
This is particularly true, since Cameron is bound to make concessions to his right-wing backbenchers to avoid a damaging "rebellion" - thanks to his slim majority. Despite his rhetoric, he won't concede on EU membership, because it would make no sense for Britain to withdraw and, anyway, his masters in the City are against it. But, as a concession, he may well push anti-working class measures, like further restrictions on the right to strike - as the Tory press is already demanding - but also more attacks against immigrant workers.
As workers, whatever our nationality, we have the same enemies - the bosses and their politicians - and we should oppose any attempt to split our ranks. We will need to fight together, whether it is against the new attacks which the Tories have in store, or to start regaining the ground lost. And we can't expect much from union leaders. We will have to rely on our own resources - our numbers and unity, together with our determination to defend the interests of our class.