A Split Parliament: The Case For Coalition.

At the start of WWII the Tory party was badly split between appeasers and those who wanted to confront Germany. As the blitzkrieg took hold and Churchill became prime minister, he was backed by a split and lukewarm Tory Party. Many in its ranks and in the War Cabinet wanted to open peace talks via Mussolini (Italy was not yet in the war) but Churchill wanted to fight on. His strength lay in his character, but his political power lay in the fact that he led a coalition. And the Labour and Liberal parties backed his fighting determination, together with enough Tories to see off the peace faction.

Brexit is the biggest test since WWII for the prosperity and strength of the United Kingdom. Whether you are for it or against it, the danger now lies in either course on terms which are structurally and financially hobbling to future growth, engagement, influence, opportunity and prosperity. Both the main political parties are split between Leave and Remain, and split again within those definitions as well. The government is itself so badly split it is unable to progress negotiations with the EU on all the key issues, because its warring ministers cannot agree what kind of Brexit it is they want. May is reduced to winning parliamentary votes by making promises which she cannot keep.

This is no way to run a country at the best of times but as of now it is the biggest threat the UK faces. Bigger than Russian hackers or IS terrorists. Because although malign attacks from without can damage and cause pain, it is conflict within which truly destroys. It is therefore the view of this blog that the nature of our government has at once to change. There is a substantial majority in the House of Commons for an intelligent Brexit, which puts the economy and jobs first and pays the price to achieve that. There is an even bigger majority in the Lords and polls predict that there is also a majority in the country.

Moreover there is now an existential threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom. If Brexit goes pear shaped, the SNP will get the support it needs to guarantee a win in a second independence referendum. And in Northern Ireland the obdurate power of the DUP will drain away and the North will unite with the South.

So Theresa May, Madame Fudge to this blog, can fudge no longer. It is imperative we have a united cabinet made up of ministers who put country before ideology and are willing to deliver an economically sound Brexit which protects jobs and business, preserves vital institutions and points the way to better times. This means relying on the majority in the Commons from across all parties for such a course, whether there is a formal coalition or not. The hard core Brexiteers, mostly rich and detached from ordinary lives, should be fired from the government and thrown onto the back benches. Here they can howl and shriek and cause a fuss but they will not have a majority there in the Commons, nor in the Lords, nor in the country. And, leaving the best bit till last, May needs to dump the DUP. Shacking up with them was the biggest mistake of all.