2024: Another crazy year of exhausting Elections and extortionate Elons. 

What a year it has been! 2024 will probably be remembered as the year of elections, with more than half the world’s population casting their vote, from India to Mexico, the surprise election in France, and most recently in the US.   

Perhaps the most important for us, however, has been the election in the UK. Whether you’ve loved or hated it, the campaign, the results, and the government’s rough start have been central focus points throughout the year, both in Concrete and throughout UK media.  

With immigration being a central aspect of the election, the optimism following the landslide Labour victory soon gave way to a summer of discontent. While the government acted quickly in their arrests and charges, the dangers of social media were made abundantly clear.   

Since then, the government have yet to bounce back. Despite several rebrands, the polls and a particular petition (however legitimate) highlighted just how unhappy the general public is (and, randomly, how unhappy Elon Musk is) with this government.   

By Autumn, the Budget was declared “very-Labour” and “radical” – including the allocation of £1.8 billion in compensation for victims of the Post Office Scandal – hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongfully accused of fraud due to faulty software. The ITV drama focusing on the scandal – Mr.Bates vs.The Post Office – led to a public outcry over the injustice, and while this long-overdue compensation package was seen as a victory, many have since questioned whether it is enough to restore trust.  

Trust in institutions can also be applied to the Royal family. It has been a tough year for the family as the King and the Princess of Wales struggled with their cancer treatments. The media attention over Kate’s absence from the public view was arguably overly invasive, and many are glad both are better and are back working.   

However, the recent Sunday Times-Channel 4 investigation into millions of pounds of the Royal family’s income from the rent of the NHS, state schools and the armed forces has led to much scrutiny. The disparity in wealth between those who are gaining millions from public bodies and those struggling through another winter in a cost-of-living crisis has left many criticising the government over the lack of taxation of the super-rich.   

While the above paints a bleak picture of the country and its political climate, as Christmas nears and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour comes to a close, there are things to look forward to, even if it is only the idea of going home for the holidays that provides a sense of ease or knowing that that essay is finally over!  

Politically, who knows what the new year will bring! While it can be tricky to be optimistic in a time of such uncertainty, it is often the little things that become the most entertaining. Ed Davey plunging into Lake Windermere was not on my bucket list for 2024, and neither was Elon Musk trolling the UK Prime Minister on X. Sometimes, though, how strange politics can be can provide moments that truly unite us and hopefully, our ability to laugh at its absurdity, can be something to look forward to.  

Image Credit: PICRYL