Two months ago, Boris Johnson was penned in by a recalcitrant parliament. He’d lost a string of major votes in the House of Commons and didn’t even have the numbers to call an election. Then, after three attempts, Johnson won out – with Labour and the Liberal Democrats confident they could do the PM more damage. Instead, Johnson won the Tories their biggest majority since the Thatcher era, and left the two national opposition parties on their backsides. We tell the story of how the Conservatives did it and ask what next for Labour – and the United Kingdom?
As we head into a new decade, many of the uncertainties of 2019 will continue to seek resolution in the 20s. Though 2019 lacked the seismic shocks of 2016, around the world states convulsed as leaders were ousted and people took to the streets en masse to decry tyranny, corruption (and petrol prices). While the year was dominated by the unpredictable movements of Donald Trump, China’s terrifying assault on liberty in Xinjiang and Iran’s aggressive defensiveness in the Middle East, there was also plenty of reason to find hope. There was joy and fear in Sudan as an army of ordinary people ousted a hated autocrat; young protesters stood up to the power of Chinese influence in Hong Kong; and democratic lawmakers in Washington tried to hold Trump to account. And of course the school strikes for climate action led by Greta Thunberg and the actions of Extinction Rebellion ensured the climate crisis remained in the news. In a two-part review of the events that shaped 2019, international affairs commentator Simon Tisdall looks back at the year’s reasons to be fearful – and reasons to be cheerful. After which, there’s a look ahead to what 2020 may hold in store.
If you mark a holiday at this time of year, we hope it is a peaceful one. The Guardian Weekly will be back in the new year with our 3 January edition.
