Government heading up a blind alley

On Friday the Tory cabinet met and agreed a way forward, all 29 of them with ministerial responsibilities.  By Sunday night the Minister for Brexit, David Davis had resigned.  And by this afternoon the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson had followed.  Having been told by Teresa May that she now expected them to support the agreed policy these two have now left government so they can attack it.

The contradictions of Brexit are unravelling before our eyes.  The lies and deceit behind pretending you could enjoy the benefits of EU membership without paying the costs are being exposed.  It would have been honest of anti EU campaigners to declare ‘we’re going to leave, we’re going to take back control of our borders, of our laws etc.  but it will mean goods and services will cost more in the short term, jobs may be lost’.  But no, a rose tinted view of life outside the EU was painted and reality is getting closer.  The date of departure from EU is March 2019 but there is already a transitional period of another two years whilst the UK resolves future trade deals with the EU and the rest of the world.

It’s an impossible situation and one David Cameron wanted nothing to do with when he resigned as Prime Minister two years ago.  His successor Teresa May, has ridden on the crest of the anti EU wave having laid low during the referendum campaign itself.  Faced with the reality that there wasn’t a majority in Parliament for crashing out of the EU she called a General Election weeks after setting off the timebomb otherwise known as Article 50.  The country which has been divided since the EU referendum declined to give her a mandate to commit economic hari kiri and took away her majority.  Forced to stay in office to clear up the mess she created she turned to the socially conservative Democratic Unionists of Northern Ireland to give her a majority.  And even their support is at risk as there is a majority in Parliament for giving women the same rights over their bodies as exists in the rest of the United Kingdom.  And now in the Republic of Ireland too.

Finally she got her cabinet to agree on Friday to a way forward.  A way forward for the Conservative Party.  For it was by no means certain that it would have been agreed in negotiations with the European Union.  Two members of Cabinet who agreed on Friday have now given themselves the freedom to disagree.

 

A government in office but not in power.  There is only one logical way forward.  A general election to give the country a chance to elect a government that could negotiate with the EU with the confidence of being backed by the country.  But first you have to be honest with the choices you are giving the country.