Uncivil wars
I blame John Major, if he had kicked the “closet racists and swivel eyed loons” out of the tent, the UK would still be in the EU. There would have been a small rump of perhaps 4-5 UKIP MPs for a short time and then things would have returned to normal.
But he didn’t and as a result we are still struggling under the weight of the Tory party’s civil war, still struggling after 30+ years..
The latest battle is over the Northern Ireland Protocol, with the PM perfectly aware that the deal he has negotiated is the best available, that it makes sense, will work and will make things better for the whole country, not just NI.
He is opposed by the DUP, the minority party in NI, and far more importantly by the ERG, who count among their number one S. Braverman, Home Secretary.
Who, when not failing to condemn Nazi rallies and Far Right attacks on asylum seekers, is threatening to resign over the NIP deal.
It shows you how little has changed in 30 years in the Tory party but also how used we have become to this chaos.
Can anyone imagine one of the holders of the great offices of state threatening to resign over a government policy and getting away with it before John Major?
I am not sure I can.
Ms Braverman, famously fired for her incompetent handling of sensitive data and then reinstated by Rishi Sunak must think this time that she is unfireable, just like John Major’s “bastards” did.
This does not bode well for the NIP deal, Rishi Sunak, the Tory party, the country or the government.
Civil wars are very uncivil and they do tend to drag on bitterly and painfully until one side is totally defeated.
As Ms Braverman shows, it is not the Brexit wing of the Tory party that is losing.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.