So June will be the end of May.

Theresa May is finally done for and will cease being UK Prime Minister in two weeks. She's been called a 'zombie Prime Minister' but really it's more like one of the skeletons from that old Jason and the Argonauts movie that keeps getting killed and then getting back up as though nothing happened.

Her premiership has been a disaster, even on its own terms. I hate Thatcher but she succeeded in what she wanted to do. May's terrible Brexit negotiations, false promises and global incompetence have left Britain politically divided and in a constitutional crisis. The Conservative's European election result could be under 10% and this is for a 'ruling' party!

By promising things she couldn't deliver, she merely raised the expectations of Brexiteers and increased the sense of betrayal as she found out that what was promised was not deliverable. Nigel Farage has tapped into that anger with his new Brexit Party and it means whoever replaces May will be on the hard Brexit nationalist right. That is where Tory members are and because the Tories have angered their core voter base so much, they have nowhere else to go electorally.

This might be good for the Labour Party but it's very bad for the country because it makes a no-deal Brexit a lot more likely. In playing with fire for short-term electoral gain, she's released forces that her party establishment can no longer control. The ordinary Conservative voters won't accept anything less than a hard Brexit and the traditional party of British business is now faced with one hell of a contradiction.

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Ynotisay · M

Thanks for that. Good to get an insiders look.
On a really general level, would you say Brexit makes sense to most citizens or is it just an exercise in 'foot stomping?"

Burnley123 · 41-45, M

@Ynotisay Brexiteers really do believe it. It's a simple narrative that works and has a strong emotional appeal.

You maybe won't see this in America because the BBC and the Guardian have a different take, but our print media here is mostly really right wing and pro Brexit and they pump out the betrayal narrative every day.

The referendum campaign used the line 'taking back control' and that worked on multiple levels: control of borders, control our own laws and control our own lives etc.

Since it became obvious that May couldn't pass her deal, remain voters see that as everything they predicted coming true as rhetoric hits reality. Leave voters see it as a betrayal of their will and what they voted for. I think they have been betrayed but betrayed by the leave politicians who made them false promised. They still believe the promises should come true though and see the failure to deliver the Brexit they voted for an establishment stitch-up

Ynotisay · M

@Burnley123 So the failure supports their narrative. Makes sense.
Of course, if it were to go through,and when reality hit, the narrative would change and someone else would be found to blame. Having enemies drives the train.

Burnley123 · 41-45, M

@Ynotisay Yes. I've also said before that these people will feel betrayed under any of the possible outcomes. If Brexit is cancelled they will feel betrayed for obvious reasons. If it's a soft Brexit, they'd also see it as a betrayal of what they voted for (though I'd argue its definitely not). If they get what they want and it's a hard Brexit, there will be an economic crash and they will also feel betrayed because blame will just be shifted on the EU or whoever was in power at the time to manage the transition.

Ynotisay · M

@Burnley123 And there you go. With any of those scenarios you'll have angry people and those are the easiest for the far right to control.
Let's hope, for the sake of both of our countries, strong leaders who don't peddle fear will emerge. It's time we get some grown ups back to the table.