In 2019 we wrote an article in this weekly magazine entitled ‘There is a dying party’. The subject was the antics of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and how he destroyed his party through them. 2022 has come to an end and we are looking back at a year in which the question could be raised whether Britain, figuratively at least, is also gradually dying out.

On September 8, most of the British people mourned. Elisabeth II died at the age of 96. She will sit on the throne as queen for seventy years. As a monarch, he saw no less than fifteen British prime ministers walk by. If we also consider the Commonwealth of Nations (‘Commonwealth’) – with countries such as Australia, India and Togo where the British monarch is the official head of state – the count comes to 179. Barely two days before the death of Queen Elisabeth II Liz Truss of ‘ The Conservatives’ sworn in before the Queen as the new head of government.

Giant failure

Where Queen Elisabeth II did not give way, Truss had to leave after nearly fifty days. His crazy job as leader of the Conservative Party – replacing the equally crazy Boris Johnson – turned out to be a total failure. This was prompted by a package of measures to reduce the tax burden. However, this proposal would leave a big hole in the budget. Financial markets are getting nervous and the ‘Conservatives’ are getting even more nervous about new elections. All opinion polls show that the center-right government party has lost half its support in just two years. The election will result in the loss of up to two-thirds of the seats in parliament. Labor socialism suddenly became popular again. Due to the two-party system, there wasn’t much to choose from. However, asking the voter’s opinion is not necessary. The Conservatives replaced Truss with former Finance Minister, multibillionaire Rishi Sunak. He previously competed against Liz Truss in the presidential election following Boris Johnson’s resignation in July 2022, but then had to withdraw.

How ridiculous the whole saga surrounding Liz Truss is, is also shown when King Charles III – who succeeded his deceased mother – completely drops out of his role of protocol when he has to speak to Truss twice in record time: “Back again? Oh my, oh my dear” (Are you back? My goodness, my goodness). In the past year, more have stepped out of their protocol roles in court. The tabloids feast on scandals in the British royal family. Those responsible for this: Prince Andrew, who has been accused of sexually abusing minors, and Prince Harry and his Meghan Markle. The latter two have moved to the United States to live the life of pop stars. Meanwhile, they are making a controversial documentary about the relationships within the British royal family. In the end, it turned out that they had overplayed their hand. Due to their attack on the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity among the British population plummeted.

Record migrant boats

The Downing Street and Buckingham Palace plays have dominated the British press for the past year. Pushed more into the background, but still lagging behind, are the indirect consequences of Brexit. For example, Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon announced that she wants to hold another referendum to leave the UK and rejoin the EU. The British Supreme Court ruled that Scotland could not hold a new plebiscite without the approval of the British House of Commons in London (which did not have a majority for the regionalist proposal). The Scottish Sturgeon, of the nationalist SNP, said he was not impressed and that he was looking for another democratic and constitutional way to achieve a referendum. To be continued in 2023.

One of the main reasons why the British decided by a (narrow) majority to leave the European Union is the right to be ‘boss in their own country’ again. Being able to do your own migration policy is the cornerstone of this. In 2022, illegal boat traffic from France to the UK will increase even more. In twelve months, no less than 45,000 migrants (45 per cent more than in 2021) attempted to reach the UK under the guise. Boris Johnson came up with a bold plan in the spring, when he was still prime minister: asylum seekers would be transferred to Rwanda and have to undergo their procedures there (in a rather posh hotel). Both inside and outside Britain, the politically correct world has been disgraced. Meanwhile, the plan seems to have died quietly.

What happened to the once proud England? The royal family is involved in a scandal. Parliament and government are one dovecote. And to make matters worse, England lost to arch-rival France in the World Cup! Is there a dying country? ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ is the name of one of the most famous patriotic songs in Great Britain. Glory seems to fade in 2022, all that’s left for 2023 is hope that this year will be better.