Brexit and When Really Bad Ideas Come Home to Roost

Rafael Behr of the Guardian has a wonderful line in his piece this morning about the latest Brexit fiasco.

The Guardian: "There comes a point in every party – as dawn breaks, and the hangovers are kicking in – when the last revellers realise that anyone still on the premises risks being stuck with the job of clearing up the mess."

He was writing about the latest resignations from British Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet. May is responsible for trying to make Brexit into something it never was; a good idea. And every time she unveils a plan to try to make Britain's exit from the European Union workable, pretty much everyone groans because it will damage the economy, doesn't get the UK out fast enough, doesn't meet the needs of Scotland or N. Ireland, or doesn't address a dozen other concerns satisfactorily.

The problem, however, isn't Prime Minister May; it's Brexit, and no deal she puts forth is going to fix a bad idea. The Ministers that are leaving her Cabinet understand that and want to get out so as not to be held responsible for the eventual outcome of the agreement.

The Guardian: "These resignations confirm a fundamental structural problem with the whole leave prospectus: it was a fantasy, and as such incompatible with the mundane fulfilment of ministerial responsibility. Raab has come to the same conclusion that David Davis and Boris Johnson reached earlier in the year: it is easier to be on the team that accuses the prime minister of failing to deliver majestic herds of unicorns than it is to be stuck with a portfolio that requires expertise in unicorn-breeding."

PM May now has to have the deal she struck with the EU approved by the House of Commons.

Politico: "May defended her deal as being in the “national interest” and said that there was now a “clear choice” before MPs. “We can choose to leave with no deal. We can risk no Brexit at all. Or we can choose to unite and support the best deal that can be negotiated. This deal,” she said."

"The prime minister now faces a battle for her political survival as well as a fight to push through her deal. May’s leadership could be challenged if 48 of her own backbenchers put forward letters stating that they no longer have confidence in her. She would then face a leadership contest in which other candidates could challenge her."

But, in the end, the House of Commons may well approve the deal, not because it's wise policy, but because no one has a better idea. And no one wants Prime Minister May's job of trying to make Brexit work.

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