“Our entire system is in a crisis because our PM is stalled both by the EU issue and by an opposition led by Jeremy Corbyn that cannot replace her. We are deadlocked.” The day after Theresa May’s decision to delay the vote in Parliament on the deal with the EU that was supposed to finalize Brexit, Professor Francis Davis, former adviser to the governments of Gordon Brown and David Cameron, Professor of Public Policy at Birmingham University and at Saint Mary’s Catholic University in London, sees no way out. Not only. He envisages that British economy will pay a high price for what’s been happening so far. “The pound tumbles and falling bond yields are bound to affect pension schemes”, Davis pointed out. “Food prices rise and the consequences will weigh heavily on pro-Brexit voters, because the political system failed to protect them as it should have. It’s a very dangerous situation that could pave the way to the onset of populism and far-right movements.”
The positions of the different political parties. Davis’s words express serious concerns. “The British Premier – he told SIR – has obtained what she considers to be the best deal that could be realistically obtained from Brussels; but a high number of MPs, both those in favour and against the EU, don’t want to accept it”, said the expert on the day when May is once again expected in Brussels. “Moreover, pro-Brexit hardliners who want a clean break from the EU cannot endorse a no-confidence vote against May because the government’s collapse would pave the way to Jeremy Corbyn”, leader of the Labour party. “The consequence is a veritable nightmare. If May returned to Parliament she would certainly face a no-confidence vote that would be backed by a majority of MPs because the protestors of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) would vote against the government. It should be borne in mind that the “Northern Ireland party, which does not support the premier’s deal with Brussels, will do everything possible to avoid Labour from seizing power”, Davis said. “Many members of the Conservative Party led by the PM, especially pro-Brexit hardliners, would like to topple Theresa May but they cannot.”
Little room for manoeuvre. For the political expert, the problem is the analysis of the European situation made by a number of Conservative Party MPs that have always supported Great Britain’s exit from the European Union and DUP’s attitude towards Northern Ireland. “Brexiteers are convinced that Europe’s foreign policy depends on Germany. It’s an age-old mindset”, Davis pointed out. Then there’s also the thorny issue of relations, and of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern-Ireland. “Brexiteers and North-Irish protestors insist that Northern Ireland must enjoy the same deal as the rest of the UK. For example, they want no border controls unless these are applied to the UK. They fail to understand that while the EU makes an exception for the United Kingdom, other Countries such as Serbia with regard to Kosovo or other Countries that want to enter the EU, or minority regions, could make the same demands.” Clearly, the expert remarked, the EU cannot accept these conditions and Theresa May has very little room for manoeuvre. Morover, it should be remembered that EU 27 had a united stand on Brexit, as was confirmed in the plenary of the European Parliament ongoing in Strasbourg, where the rallying cry is: “this is best possible deal. There is no room for more negotiations.” And the gaze is now extended at the European Council of December 13-14 in Brussels…
UKIP tugs at low-income households’ heartstrings. General elections cannot be held before 2022 owing to the “fixed parliamentary act”, adopted in 2010 during David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s government. Under the provisions of the Act, general elections must be held every five years. “The most worrying aspect of this situation is the growing popularity of far-right movements.” UKIP, “the party created to take Great Britain out of the European Union, is now controlled by fascists. This political formation is ready to penetrate the most poverty-stricken areas of the country inhabited by working classes that are paying the heavy price of the Brexit vote, and to exploit the dissatisfaction of these workers who are bound to feel excluded and further impoverished.”
