The band broke
For those of us hoping beyond hope that Boris Johnson’s premiership was an awful aberration and once he had gone the system would reset to normal, are being terribly disappointed.
Mr. Johnson did not just stretch the rubber band of truth so far that it broke, he deliberately cut it and got away with it for so long that neither of the remaining candidates has bothered to try to fix it.
These candidates have learnt well. The lies flow freely, policies which don’t bear examination are launched and abandoned and then shamelessly lied about. Figures are invented, economics totally betrayed by fantasy policies and fantasy data, institutions that don’t bend to the will of the liars will be broken. Human rights will be destroyed, courts shackled, opponents will soon be traitors. Elections are already being rigged, constituencies bribed, the civil service will be politicised.
The candidates have learnt what you can get away with in this political system and they are going to use it to the hilt.
The willingness of the Tories to play this card is utterly disgusting, the shameless disregard for the long term damage to the British polity is terrifying.
They now think so long as they stay in power anything is justified. Brexit is their shibboleth, it is based on endless lies, and yet must be protected come what may, from that all the other lies flow.
They still stand a very good chance of getting away with this, the system is not designed to deal with them.
If they do lose power, they will have to spend not just years but decades in the wilderness, if there is to be any chance of fixing the system.
There will also have to be wide ranging constitutional reform to make this impossible again.
The Tories know this, it is why they have to win and will do anything to do just that.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.