It is almost 50 years to the day since I voted in the general election called by Edward Heath. He thought democracy was under threat from trade union power and militancy and called the election to decide “who runs Britain?”

Our current Prime Minister also thinks democracy is under threat. But he is loth to call an election he knows he will lose. According to Sunak the overwhelming support for a ceasefire in Gaza that has generated months of peaceful protest is undemocratic and amounts to mob rule.

So we have the grotesque spectacle of politicians on both sides, who continue to support Israel’s war crimes, complaining because of demonstrations and protests against them. MPs are “intimidated” by lobbying from their constituents. Sunak calls it a threat to democracy. But he has not called an election. Instead he calls on the police to do more to stop the marches and Starmer welcomes Sunak’s ‘sensible proposals.’

These defenders of democracy have ignored public opinion and months of peaceful protest that they traduced as hate crimes. And when a motion for an immediate ceasefire was placed before parliament they traduced their democracy with political manoeuvring around amendments that stopped it being voted on.

And now George Galloway has joined the “Islamists,” and the peace marchers in the pantheon of anti-democratic forces by winning a democratic election after campaigning for an end to the war and justice for Palestine!

This calls to mind the response of the East German authorities to the uprising by workers in Berlin in 1953. The people were demonised by Communist officials as a threat to the ‘People’s Democracy’! It provoked this response from German poet, Bertolt Brecht. And in the spirit of Brecht I have added my poem below that was written before the Rochdale by election result.

THE SOLUTION

After the uprising of the 17th June
The Secretary of the Writer's Union
Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Had forfeited the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

Bertolt Brecht 1953

THE AMENDMENT TO THE SOLUTION

After the uprising of the 21st February
Mr Speaker spoke about the threat to democracy.
His words were repeated and reported by a pliant media,
stating that the people
threatened the Government and the Loyal Opposition, 
(loyal that is to a foreign power) 
when they lobbied MPs with protests and placards,
instead of the time honoured tradition of
lobbying with money and trips abroad. 
Would it not be easier
in that case for the government to explain
that ‘democracy’ no longer means the rule of the people?
Nowadays it is the means by which the elite
rule over the people. 

Mike Stanton 2024