On 18 April, Prime Minister Theresa May called a “snap” general election to take place as soon as possible. Everybody was surprised. She had everything she could’ve wanted. She was Prime Minister of Great Britain, she’d just triggered Article 50, and she was about to spend the next two years guiding Britain through the Brexit process as she wanted it to take place. So, why would she put all of that in jeopardy voluntarily?
Last general election was only two years ago
It was only two years since David Cameron won the 2015 General Election, and one year since he resigned following the EU referendum and left the government in May’s hands.
Well, that was part of the reason, really. She wanted to make sure she was actually wanted to lead Britain (and clearly she isn’t, since she wasn’t voted in, but she’s still going to do it anyway).
May also wanted to get her Conservative Party a larger majority that would make Brexit negotiations easier in her favour. That has also failed, since she’s lost so many seats that she no longer has the majority and she’s had to settle for an informal coalition with the right-wing Northern Irish party DUP. So, all in all, an unequivocal failure for Theresa May, but she’s still going to get to run the UK government, astoundingly. She’s like a cockroach in a nuclear holocaust.
