It’s come down to this on Brexit. Who is Theresa May actually working for? The People? Or the unelected oligarchy I call The Davos Crowd?
If it’s the former then May had a very good week. Her terrible deal went down in flames, but she knew this would happen. She then invited her opposition, Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour party, to table a ‘No-Confidence’ vote in her government which she survived.
She survived it because the Brexiteers and the Remainers within the Tories are united against Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.
But with her deal failing by such a huge margin is she weaker or stronger than she was last week? Depends on where her head is. If she has come to terms with a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit then she would be acting exactly as she is.
The problem is that if she is still trying to betray Brexit by some last-minute fear-mongering then she would also act exactly as she is.
And therein lies the current problem.
May’s insistence on keeping ‘No-Deal’ on the table could be seen as a negotiating tactic with the EU or a defensive measure to stave off a challenge from Corbyn.
May’s refusal to step aside as Prime Minister can be seen as her hanging on to do the will of her masters or as a defensive measure to deliver on some form of Brexit that most of her cabinet do not want.
I could do this all day.
And that’s what makes this so very confusing and very draining. The best news is that the inimitable Nigel Farage has announced he would come back to politics to campaign if a second referendum was forced on everyone.
And I think he’s right in saying that if that were to occur the overlords in Brussels and London better be prepared for an even worse drubbing. Because there comes a point where people’s patience runs out and that’s that.
May’s handling of the negotiations have been inept but she has always been inept so it comes as no surprise. She had a not too difficult task to deliver a Brexit that would be accepted by the British people while appeasing Big Business i.e. the people who have always funded and controlled the Tory party.
As the political ‘expert’ she should have been able deal with the Davos Crowd, telling them what is achievable politically rather than the farce of an agreement she was forced to accept from the EU at the Davos Crowd’s urging. Even May realised they overplayed their hand.
If she now looks like a champion of the people it’s a facade but one she will happily cling too. A no deal Brexit was only meant as a tool to force her party to back her position which they would have done if the EU deal had been even slightly realistic. It is now her lifebelt as May knows if she pulls out now the Tory party will sink beneath the waves being unelectable for years to come. It might still happen though if the Tory paymasters decide a dead Tory party is a price worth paying to avoid a true Brexit.
Excellent assessment of the situation. And that’s why I think things are still a coin flip unfortunately.