Who wears the crown? : Brits go to the polls

Party leaders Nigel Farage, Jo Swinson, Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson

It is the first December ballot since 1923. Britons are being asked to choose who their next leader would be. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the election in order to legitimise his hold on power especially now in view of Brexit. You may recall that he only came to power following the fall of Theresa May after being chosen by his Party, the Conservatives, to take over from the fallen premier.

Party leaders have therefore been hurtling across the country on a final campaign blitz. In reality, however, there are only two serious contenders in the race for No.10. These are Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party and Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party. Other party leaders will, in all honesty, end up being king makers or spoilers.

What are the chances of the two leading candidates? Well, Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party has been unable to shake off his Marxist credentials. Here is a man who sees politics as a war between the hoi polloi and the wealthy. He has been speaking of taxing the wealthy disproportionately in order to finance all his projects.

In this day and age, it is difficult to see how a man who sees a major segment of the citizenry as enemies will be allowed to lead his country. His hero is Vladmir Putin. It is a tragedy that while China and Russia are gradually embracing capitalist principles in order to be able to move away from the stifling dungeon of Communism, a prominent Western politician is still stuck in the past. For this and some other reasons many people consider Jeremy Corbyn to be unelectable.

On the other hand, it is not that Boris Johnson is a saint. He is far from being a paragon of political virtues. Many people are of the opinion that he has this propensity for being economical with the truth. Also, for the first time in British political history, the prime minister will be living in Downing Street with a woman who is not his wife.

In his favour, Boris Johnson is determined to execute Brexit which the country voted for. He is also good friends with the President of the United States who also had earlier recommended him. Britain will need friends after exiting Europe. Therefore, the chances are that, all things being equal, voters will choose Boris Johnson over Jeremy Corbyn as he will be considered the better of two evils.