Is the Tory Government Nearing Collapse?

Yes is the answer. But When? That is the question. The answer, I suspect , is not long now. Gavin Williamson, for whom this blog has no time at all, thinks May should not have engaged with Corbyn. The ERG wing of her party tries to trash everything she comes up with, giving her little choice. But the reality is adversarial politics is fine with straight issues. capitalism or socialism? Public or private? Austerity or spend? Even war or peace?

But when it comes to more nuanced issues, where the choices are numerous and outcomes subject to guesswork and interpretation, building consensus is not just the best way to operate, but the only thing that works. May has come to realise this rather late, but she has got there in the end. Until a majority of MPs on all sides agree with her and support the outcome of the talks, if any, Brexit is doomed. So is the Tory party itself.