WESLEY SEALE
A.J. Davies, in his 1995 book, We, the Nation: The Conservative Party and the Pursuit of Power, titles the chapter on the Conservative Party and their handling of the United Kingdom economy as “the economy is safe in our hands.”
After 42 bumpy days in office, former UK prime minister, Liz Truss, has shattered that reputation of the Tories.
Britain’s first woman prime minister must be turning in her grave.
In fact, according to Davies, it was the internal divisions that dominated the party after Margaret Thatcher’s unceremonious dethroning and the view that the UK economy was fast beginning to look unsafe in Conservative hands under John Major, that New Labour could trounce the Tories to victory in the general elections of 1997.
Little wonder the Tories fear a general election the most today.
In sharp contrast, President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, has just been elected to a third term in office. China remains as politically stable as it was seventy-three years ago, and its economy is strengthening by the day.
When the limit on terms of presidential office was lifted by the CPC four years ago, Chinese venture capitalist and political scientist Eric X. Li explained in The Washington Post why that political development was good.
For Li, the lifting of the two-term presidential limit was a good thing because it was synchronising the position of secretary general of the CPC, which had no term limits, and that of the presidency of the country.
In removing the term limits, Li insisted that China was once again strengthening its political system “because the party has developed into the most competent national political institution in the world today.”
Li went on to acknowledge that the CPC was “responsible for achieving what’s known as the greatest improvement in the standard of living for the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time.” This is the reason why, he would argue, that the CPC is one of “the most elaborate and effective institutions in the world and in history.”
He went on to state that “Xi has done more for China in five years than Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama combined did for the United States in 25 years.”
President Xi Jinping, the Stanford University graduate went on to point out, consistently received “the highest domestic approval ratings of any world leaders, according to opinion surveys, such as the Harvard Kennedy School one”.
Again, in contrast, since the days of Brexit, the United Kingdom will now see its fifth prime minister being installed in six years.
In the same period, since David Cameron’s dusk days, the country has seen no less than seven Chancellors of the Exchequer, the equivalent of the finance minister.
In presenting the new Politburo to the international media, President Xi Jinping thanked the CPC and the Chinese people for their concerted efforts in establishing a moderately prosperous society according to plan and thus completing the first centenary goal.
He then went on to state that China was now embarking on a new journey to a modern, socialist country in all respects and to advance the second centenary goal, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.
Li completes his article by suggesting that “sadly, liberal democracy in its current status seems incapable of producing a leader half as good” as President Xi Jinping.
As the turmoil in Tory territory turns-up and even we, here in South Africa, are unsure of the outcomes of 2024, one finds it difficult not to agree with Li.
Seale has a PhD in Sino-South African relations.