Welcome to 2019 :)

2019 will be one of the most important years for Britain-the path it takes will decide its future for decades to come.

With precisely 85 days from now until the UK officially withdraws from the EU, those who want to stop Brexit must act fast.

Meanwhile, what is coming up this year?

European elections-but unfortunately Britain will not be taking part this year, or in future, unless somehow, sometime, Article 50 is postponed or aborted.

Parliamentary elections in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa and also in Thailand if there are no further delays, and elsewhere.

A state election in New South Wales, Australia, just before the federal election across Australia, and local elections in the Republic of Ireland.

Local elections in the United Kingdom. This year we say cheerio to all of Dorset's existing councils, which are being replaced by a Dorset unitary council and a Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole council. In addition, we wave goodbye to Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal, Taunton, Waveney, and West Somerset district councils, which are disappearing in mergers; say hello to East Suffolk, Taunton & Somerset West, and West Suffolk councils from May. (On a related note, Buckinghamshire's and Northamptonshire's current councils will almost certainly follow suit next year)

On the topic of election analysis, you are probably wondering why I have not analysed the recent Bangladeshi parliamentary election. This is fundamentally because this particular election was not free or fair by international standards. Voting stations in Bangladesh were frequently closed for bogus reasons, such as unscheduled "lunch breaks" (in all genuinely democratic countries, polling stations remain open throughout the entire period on polling day specified in that country's election law, without any breaks), voter intimidation was widespread, and many candidates belonging to parties opposing the ruling Awami League (none of the candidates arrested during the campaign were from the Awami League) were arrested on likely spurious charges simply to disrupt their election campaign. Therefore I consider the Bangladeshi parliamentary election of 2018 unworthy of a full analysis. For similar reasons, elections in one party states such as Vietnam are also not covered.





 

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