The curse of Brexit
As soon as we knew the result of the referendum on British membership of the European Union, I did a posting arguing that it changed EVERYTHING. It will take months, years, decades before we understand all the implications and consequences but, in the intervening three weeks, the impact on our political leaders has been huge.
Let’s start with the losers.
David Cameron called the referendum because he thought he would win it and that it would resolve the divisions in the Conservative Party on the issue of EU membership. He was wrong on both counts, he immediately announced his resignation as Prime Minister, and this resignation will come into effect tomorrow. His political career is over and his legacy is a terrible one.
As leader of the Labour Party which backed EU membership, Jeremy Corbyn was judged – rightly in my view – to have been lukewarm in his campaign for a Remain vote and shown yet again to lack the leadership skills necessary to win a General Election and occupy No 10. He has suffered massive resignations from his Front Bench, an overwhelmingly vote of no confidence by his MPs, and now the activation of a leadership election in which even his candidature is in doubt. The entire future of the Labour Party is on the line.
So what could be worse than losing the referendum? Winning it.
The most high profile campaigner against EU membership was Boris Johnson. Literally one day, he was the runaway favourite to become leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister and the very next day he was not even a candidate, having (oddly) decided to pull out because Michael Gove had decided to stand.
Michael Gove – the Conservative with the second highest profile in the Leave campaign – wielded the sword that finished Boris’s ambitions but did badly himself in the leadership election and could not make the final two to go before the Conservative Party membership. His reputation is in tatters.
Previously unknown Junior Minister Andrea Leadsome – another major Leave campaigner – surprised everyone by becoming one of the two leadership finalists on the ballot. Yet, within days, she pulled out without even starting to win over Conservative Party members. She has proved to be weak.
And then there’s the leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage. He has achieved his lifetime ambition to put Britain on the unstoppable (?) process to leave the European Union. And now he resigns the leadership of his party (again).
Who needs “House Of Cards” or “Game Of Thrones”? British politics has become a bloodbath with almost a victim a day. And this is just the start of working out the consequences of Brexit …