Musk and the UK
Sometimes, it isn’t enough to disrupt your life, but the lives of others. Elon Musk has decided to insert himself in UK politics and quite rightly has been met with backlash. But why?
Wait - what did Musk say?
Musk has tweeted on X about grooming gangs in Oldham and the need for an inquiry into what has been happening. His involvement in British politics has been met with backlash, as he has stated that Parliament needs to be dissolved and a new election called. This comes after PM Keir Starmer and Labour declined to open such an inquiry after inquiries had already taken place. In response, Musk has responded publicly to MPs such as Jess Phillips over their approach to this issue.
IMPACT
Musk's intervention is very interesting, if not damaging. He is no longer (just) a rich businessman who owns tech companies, but a member of the US Government. His actions are now representative of such, and his interactions on such a public level of personal UK issues is harmful to the US-UK relationship. There are of course matters that are for countries to comment on and discuss, such as trade, and war, and foreign relations. But countries tend to deal with domestic issues privately, not wanting interference from other nations. Musk's very public comments denote an age where someone in such a high political office can use their own personal business platform to make political comments with lasting ramifications. This is why Starmer felt the need to respond to Musk.
On one hand, the public interaction allows lay people to get insight into the mechanisms of politics and the interactions and responses between politicans. But the way in which Musk is conducting it is heavily informal and not constructive, but accusatory. It is one thing to express an opinion, but having such a political office as well as billions of pounds means the opinions you share will have much more sway. Musk's intervention is more than a billionaire having their say; it's political interference. His comments on the King needing to 'dissolve Parliament and call a new election' are dangerous because they enable unrest, that the sitting government is inadequate to fulfill its mandate. I will be the first to say that this Government is FAR from perfect, but I am not a tech billionaire with copious influence and political power in one of the strongest countries in the world.
Dangerous precedents are being set about how politics is now (perhaps openly) being impacted by money and agenda in a public nature. Going forward, it is deeply concerning and something that only seems to be gaining more traction.
*Image obtained from The Independent, all rights reserved: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-twitter-x-trump-far-right-nazi-salute-b2683986.html 
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