A New Sort Of Government : Not From Number Ten

We have had hung parliaments, but not like this. Because this time we have a hung government as well. That is to say the government itself is so split on key issues of austerity and Brexit, that ministers and their aids are publicly briefing against each other. Moreover all of them are briefing against the Prime Minister. To describe this as peculiar would be to understate the case. The only reason that this whole thing does not collapse between lunch and tea is because security has been bought from the DUP; a political party which this blog regards as toxic.

So all sorts of things are going to happen, because power is now with parliament, so whatever the government wants to do, will depend of the House of Commons.  And the House of Commons is split in many different directions, both across party and across issue. On the two key drivers, austerity and Brexit, there is a majority in seats and an even bigger one in votes. End the first and be soft on the second. Neither is official government policy.

Interesting times. Strong and stable government it is not. As for the EU, trying to respond to Brexit and negotiate the least damaging deal for both sides, there is disbelief. This is a very different GB to anything they have seen before. Italy and Greece are finding it hard to control their giggles.