Only British Muslims can challenge the rotten two-party system

British politics is truly rotten. The Gaza genocide is not just a symbol of the horrific international system but also that which uncovers the façade that is much of electoral politics within Western democracies.

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Cover given by Western nations for Gazan genocide FPTP electoral system is “a two-party nightmare”Independents have shown the power of Muslims 25+ constituencies can secure an Independent Having a seat at the table, but at what cost?Also read

The system gives an illusion of choice, yet many of the day’s significant issues are determined with little to no meaningful debate. The system not only fails to serve, but it very obviously intends to inhibit fundamental change.

Cover given by Western nations for Gazan genocide

The British political system is hard-wired into an international empire led by the United States, and it serves those that benefit from this crumbling colossus.

It is hard to overstate just how the genocide of Gaza has been given tacit cover by Western states that profess to believe in higher sublime attitudes but, in reality, share more in common with their colonial forbears. Ready to exterminate a people who happen to be born in the “wrong place”, whose lives are inconvenient and inconsequential.

In our daily lives, we can become immune to the cries of children as they flee an AI-powered war machine. But we must not. We must have the resolve to challenge it.

FPTP electoral system is “a two-party nightmare”

The abovementioned system has persisted through a regular turnover of faces and parties.

And yet, its longevity is guaranteed because the electoral system — first-past-the-post (FPTP) — only permits two parties any real opportunity to govern.

Both are locked into an imperial slipstream. And because they serve an unjust international order, it’s what Leanne Mohamad smartly calls “a two-party nightmare”. [1]

To have any “choice”, you must play the system. This means accepting one of two choices in the vast majority of seats countrywide. But playing the Russian roulette of party politics perpetuates it and gives oxygen to nothingness.

That’s why, to have an impact, even if it is marginal — albeit significant — one has to understand the electoral system and utilise its elements to our advantage.

Independents have shown the power of Muslims

The 4^th of July general election demonstrated that this house of cards could be exposed — at the very least — by a community ready to pull the curtain away from the vacuousness of a system that long ago failed.

We have the ingredients to do this: a concentration of Muslims in over 25 constituencies that allows us to utilise FPTP to our advantage. I cannot think of any other block, including the general left, with the density and organisation to do this.

In this last election, the Muslim community returned four Independent MPs (only three have been elected at the ballot box since 1945).

This is even more impressive because three of the four do not have any formal political experience.

Ayub Khan from Birmingham Perry Barr was a Liberal Democrat but left in disgust after being vilified over his stance on Gaza. We now also have a pro-Gaza Muslim representative in Dewsbury and Batley, Blackburn, and Leicester South. All four unseated a Labour incumbent, causing swings that were unprecedented in UK electoral history.

Indeed, these MPs are not necessarily the most polished or intrepid of candidates, and I suspect their impact may be variable, but they have demonstrated the power of Muslim voters. Aware of the current limitations, we have now opened up the possibility of better representation.

25+ constituencies can secure an Independent

In many ways, the result could have been healthier.

Indeed, we had near misses in Ilford North, Bradford West, Birmingham Ladywood, Slough, Birmingham Hall Green, Birmingham Yardley, Bethnal Green, and Stepney. These close results are a reminder of the potential for future success. That’s an additional seven seats we narrowly lost.

In reality, there are over 25 constituencies in the country where — if the Muslim community puts their mind to it — they can secure an Independent representative. If we manage to maintain the courage we showed last month, we can redraw the political landscape of the United Kingdom.

Then, there are breakthrough candidates. Those that are unencumbered by the politics of old. Probably the most significant of these was Leanne Mohamad, who ran a spirited and strategic campaign in Ilford North and came within 528 votes of victory.

A strong Palestinian and Muslim voice in Parliament would act as an antidote to a system that has long gone beyond its expiry date. We need a new generation of principled voices who can stand their ground and, at the same time, win allies from across the board.

From my engagement with the student movement, I know thousands of like-minded people are ready to be mentored into principled and moral politics.

Having a seat at the table, but at what cost?

Of course, there is an urge in our community to use our wins, even if modest at this stage, to engage and ultimately integrate back into the party system.

Labour is making overtures to the Muslim community, and many short-sighted Muslim groups are hungry for a seat at the table.

Sadly, the strategy of aiding Labour Muslims in the last election, making them an exception to the structural deficiencies of the party system, is a part of this failed approach. We must resist this at all costs.

This is not, however, to discredit meaningful engagement with government. But this engagement should not come with the risk of constraining our aspirations and managing our politics.

We must ask ourselves whether we have the organisational capacity and the will to do this. I believe we do, and I want to hear from those ready to make this movement viable.

This does not mean that all of the Muslim community must be engaged in this one activity. Rather, that we must dedicate time and energy to this project.