Thank you to co-writer ND for keeping the blog going this past few weeks. CU has been busy with a career change which has resulted in needing to spend time focusing on a bit the day job of capitalism.
However, I return refreshed to see the Tories in true meltdown. Just yesterday the slightly strange Andrea Leadsom announced that she would drive No-Deal Brexit through by proroguing Parliament. This means to stop Parliament from meeting for a few months. Whilst constitutionally possible, it would be a national outrage to try this.
I mean, I know the Tories are not going to get much in the way of votes at the next General Election, but this stunt would completely ruin them. It says Conservatives on the tin, the electorate do not expect to get radical illiberalism instead.
Having said that, I have some sympathy with the thinking behind this position. Clearly the current parliament has tried and failed to pass any deal for Brexit and voted to avoid a no-deal Brexit; the circle cannot be squared. This way at least moves to try to end this impasse. However, in reality to do so without an election is nonsensical. An election is the obvious route if there is no way through Parliament - this is what the constitutional principles would suggest. To avoid an election would be an abomination and the next time there was one there would be a high price to pay indeed.
Also, though, Leadsom is helpfully signalling that the issue is indeed the Remain parliament and not the Tory party. Yes the Tories are split, but the failure of Labour or any other party to vote for anything deliverable is the real cause of the current mess. Sadly, this will be lost in the messaging.
In any event, the Tories are not going to be choosing Leadsom - it seems to me the choice will rapidly boil down to another remain-pretender in Jeremy Hunt or the unknowable quantity that is Boris Johnson.
I am not sure they will even make it as Prime Minister more than a few days if the DUP and Tory rebels vote against a motion of no confidence.
Tough times for the Tories, a Brexit party by-election win is not going to clam them down this week - it perhaps shows the path to their imminent destruction when there is a 2019 General Election.
4 comments:
If they crown Gove, all bets are off.
Good luck with the new direction too.
I'd rather the election were delayed for a while until certain younger members of my extended family can establish themselves in the bit of Abroad they've chosen as their sanctuary from Corbyn.
It's rather unlikely we could join them so we may have to stay here. Still, the country's becoming more Abroad every day, eh?
I don't think it really matters.
Even if unknown quantity Boris wins we now know the undemocratic nature of most of the Tory Party and that they are LibDems in reality.
Bald men fighting over a comb.
She can't force an election though. So this is at least something that helps meet her democratic mandate.
This is the issue with people like May. They think they are so smart but all they do is show us a new way of doing things and thus enable that as a new tool in everyones way of working.
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