Almost two years since the referendum and we are no further down the road than ”Brexit means Brexit”, meaning nobody has a clue what Brexit will turn out to be. That fact in itself together with the ever increasing warnings of economic woe is slowly beginning to get to people, making them wonder if their no to the EU was such a good idea. Although the government and Labour are still dithering around their own Brexit supporting standpoints there is growing political pressure to subject whatever deal Theresa May comes up with to a vote, including an option to stay in the EU.
As I mentioned in October, Theresa May is on a mission impossible and there really is no way out for her other than one of a limited number of more or less dramatic moves. It is said pride comes before a fall and the Prime Minister is the victim of her own arrogance from the invoking of Article 50 to her nonsensical ”Brexit means Brexit, Strong and Stable, Citizens of Nowhere, No Deal is better than a Bad Deal” etc. etc. Lack of competence or foresight, you choose? Theresa May was of the persuasion that forceful yet meaningless sound bites, showing she was getting behind it, was all that was needed to deliver the prize.
At the outset as a new Prime Minister this advisory referendum gave her plenty of scope from on the one hand viewing the result as a voice for a cliff edge departure to on the other hand negotiating the best possible deal as a non-member of the EU and offering transparency on all the strings attached. A complement to this pragmatic approach would have been an escape-hatch in the form of a vote in Parliament including a Remain option should any of the Brexit optains fail to gain enough political support.
This in fact is where we are today with the exception of the escape-hatch in the form of a parliamentary Remain option. The wheels have come off the Tory Brexit bus and for good measure it appears the engine has seized too. Theresa May is still behind the wheel making engine noises and Jeremy Corbyn is still collecting fares but it is nothing if not embarassing.
Apparently Labour are not doing well in the polls and despite all the talk of Tory austerity who needs an opposition that verbally opposes austerity yet actually supports future Brexit austerity? Under Jeremy Corbyn Labour is running a sideshow and until it changes its Brexit stance the future of Britain will be in the hands of the Tories.
Theresa May´s options?
- Doing nothing and letting time slip into a ”no deal crashing out” scenario which would not require Labour support only tacit acceptance.
- A U-turn on a red line or two and negotiating a BINO, Brexit in name only.
- Calling another election as all other options with existing red lines are unattainable might be seen as a way out but the question has to be asked. On what platform?