Friday 9 June 2017

The fag end of a broken system


I would be joining those calling for May's resignation were the alternatives not even more horrifying. Names mooted so far include Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Davis and Amber Rudd.

You should all be quite well aware by now that Boris Johnson is a snake. Bizarrely he is quite popular with Tories who point out that the bumbling oaf routine is just an act and the man is actually quite intelligent. There are, however, diffident forms of intelligence and intelligence is not intellect. Johnson is only intelligent in that he knows how to manoeuvre and exploit. Worse still he is lazy, turns up late and unprepared and relies entirely on briefing notes. He is a plagiarist and thief. As to being a bumbling oaf, that's a polite way of saying he's an incompetent slob. He enjoys shit stirring and letting other people run around clearing up his messes. He takes a perverse pleasure in it. That's what he would do were he in charge of Brexit.

Then there's Rees-Mogg. Possibly the only person in the Tory party who is actually worse than Johnson. One of the more depressing facets of politics is that people commonly mistake a public school education for knowledge and mistake the cut glass accent for manners. His mannerisms stem not from knowledge but from that oh so typical born-to-rule superciliousness of our upperclassmen. People who assume they know everything and cannot be told anything. If ever you wanted an example of why cousins shouldn't marry, it is he. Despite all the knowledge now published on the various Brexit options, Rees-Mogg still thinks you can whip up a trade deal in an afternoon and be on your way. He would destroy the country without even seeking to negotiate.

David Davis is the more moderate of the Brexiteers but still has a dangerously cavalier attitude and would probably appoint one of the Brexit taliban as Brexit minister. There are substantial gaps in his knowledge which make him unsuitable for his current role let alone that of PM.

Of the options available Amber Rudd is the more palatable in that she is a reasonably competent person and would probably win by way of the front runners fighting like rats in a sack. As to her personal qualities and her knowledge I cannot speak to that but as a remainer I imagine she is reasonably pragmatic - but then I said that about May so who can really say? She is certainly one to watch. I would venture that she is the only one who could beat Corbyn by way of not making an utter pigs ear of Brexit - but even that is in question. I think her only real merit is that she isn't Theresa May.

I strongly suspect now that unless Corbyn does something utterly inexcusable - and these days the tolerance seems to be inexplicably high, we probably are looking at a Labour government at the next election. This is an election the Tories actually should have gone out of their way to lose and let Corbyn carry the can for Brexit.

As to whether this coalition can hold up, I cannot say. It is likely to be unpopular and will not be well received by the media. Having what I understand to be stone age god botherers shoring up your party probably won't do them any favours and it will lose them the moral high ground. Unless they can come up with an agenda that excites they really are in the meekrob.

But then I've been saying this for quite some time. Labour is an empty shell on its last legs largely benefiting from a collapse in trust of the Tories - but the Conservative party is equally spent. No knowledge, no real talent, no rising stars - just known faces who will very rapidly be exposed as frauds and incompetents. I think we are watching the fag end of the current political system and a borked Brexit will likely be the catalyst for a public reckoning we have not seen for a very very long time. We are about to enter a dark age of British politics.

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