The final episode of State of Chaos on BBC2 last night didn’t contain anything new as far as I could see. Most of it was either old footage that we were all familiar with or insiders talking about stuff we were all familiar with. What I think did come across clearly was the amount of concern that Tory MPs, advisers, and speech writers showed for the party. At no point during Johnson’s chaotic tenure of Downing Street did anybody seem to give a second thought to what was happening to the country. In fact, I would go so far as saying they were only ever concerned with the party and that it continued in government come what may.
Everything was about the majority that Johnson won in 2019. They were prepared to forgive him anything, no matter what, provided they could keep their jobs, ministerial cars, perks, and salaries. His ‘leveling up agenda’ was never about leveling the North up to the standards of the South, or reducing inequality between rich and poor. No, it was simply a slogan to win votes, that’s all it ever was.
His indiscretions, ineptitude, and all-around incompetence were only condemned afterward as it became clear they were damaging the party’s electoral prospects. What they were doing to Britain's reputation abroad didn't enter into it. The same with Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak. They seemed to spend most of their time plotting or making announcements about things that were never going to happen anyway. That’s how the last 13 years have gone as the nation has slowly deteriorated - in every conceivable way.
In a Nick Cohen substack post: England’s Tory tribe will destroy the country it pretends to love, I noted a comment attributed to James Hawes about how we in the UK will soon have a Scottish National party “matched by a southern English nationalist party masquerading as the Conservative and Unionist party”. It's odd isn't it how those who shout the loudest about patriotism have done more than anyone to break the nation up? Would the ERG worry if Ireland was united or Scotland became independent?
I really don't believe they would. This is where tribalism and constantly seeking party advantage take you.
Brexit Paranoia
I found a copy of the report that I posted about on Friday concerning EU expansion. It’s in English, or at least you can find a copy in English, and I’ve been flicking through it. It is as you might expect, sensible and logical and sets out the problems as well as some potential solutions to speed up the decision-making process after enlargement.
What was it about this report that sent Brexiteers into near meltdown, The Daily Mail openly talking of a 'plot' to 'reverse Brexit' (i.e. the wishes of a rising majority of people in this country) - the horror of it.
Well buried way down on page 41 you will find this:
It is the proposal for an 'outer tier' of countries called 'associate members' which might include Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway (non-EU countries in the EEA), and even the UK.
Yes, it was those last four words casually tacked on to the end of a sentence that triggered all that harrumphing and hyperventilating on social media. There is no other reference in the entire document.
According to the mental health charity Mind, paranoia is "thinking and feeling like you are being threatened in some way, even if there is no evidence, or very little evidence, that you are. Paranoid thoughts can also be described as delusions. There are lots of different kinds of threat you might be scared and worried about."
I think it shows that Brexiteers are getting quite nervous. The fragility of their project is beginning to worry them - as it should.
As for the rest of the Franco-German report, we could learn a lot about how the EU does things. There is first of all a recognition that the constitution isn’t working well, and secondly, a determination to improve it and the EU’s governance in general. I have no doubt they will eventually change things to improve the day-to-day operations of the bloc.
Compare it with our ramshackle, unwritten constitution which was abused so badly under Johnson, the lawmaker and ministerial 'codes' that don't work, the honors system cheapened by Charlotte Owen's elevation, and all the outdated get-ups and paraphernalia of Parliament. We still use FPTP and have an entirely unelected second chamber, for heaven's sake. Half the time our legislature looks like a museum piece.
We have had all sorts of reviews and commissions and pledges over decades to 'reform' parliament but like HS2 they all get pushed to the side once a party gets into power.
Finally, a couple of articles you might find of interest. The first is a piece in The Spectator (I’ve abandoned my useless British passport) by a writer who voted for Brexit: “Idiotically I voted for it, imagining that it could precipitate the welcome collapse of the absurd EU.” He has now thrown his new blue British passport into a drawer.
And next, a thoughtful piece by Sir John Curtice asking if voters really care about border controls, which in my opinion only proves that most voters don't even know what they are.
