Friday 16 November 2018

Clinging to a cliff by her fingers.



Like many, I was glued to the televised Parliamentary debate and the later televised appearances of Theresa May as she tried to sell the unsellable – that is of course until the vested interests tell us it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 Neville Chamberlain at least had his moment of glory when he flew home from Munich to cheering crowds, an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and a Daily Mail headline lauding him as one who ‘brings to Europe the blessed prospects of peace.’ And then, as now, (under its new editor) the Daily Mail pontificated that those who opposed this view were deluded or ambitious, self-serving wreckers.

Many pay tribute to May’s fortitude expressed in grotesque facial contortions and the stoicism of the condemned; a woman playing King Lear, only in this instance the whole nation shares in the tragedy with all exits closed. It’s here I confess that if in some bizarre fantasy I found her clinging on to the edge of a cliff top by her fingers, my first impulse would be to jump on them. Quick and clean, not prise them free one by one – for then I might have second thoughts.

I have a strong moral censor, which holds me back from my baser desires. I’d remind myself that she was once a daughter, held and doted upon by loving parents and one presumes currently the apple of her husband’s eye. She is a person pursuing her own fate – which is great if it didn’t involve everyone else. That’s the thing about politicians; they know what’s best for everyone else. The litmus test is their use of the word ‘people’. Whether it’s Lenin or May (there’s a combination) Corbyn or Macdonald, what ‘the people want’ or the variant 'decent hardworking people' almost always coincides with what they want, and it's why it is hard to feel any sympathy for them when things go wrong. They put themselves up there. Let them get themselves down while we cope with the mess.

Meanwhile, there's a woman up their clinging to a cliff by her fingers.

3 comments:

Maria Zannini said...

I'm afraid the US media prefers to blanket us with whatever the President has done to offend them recently instead of giving us real news.

What exactly is Theresa May trying to sell?

Mike Keyton said...

She is trying to sell us 'brexit in name only' but it is worse than that. In order to have a seamless border between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (the latter remaining in the EU) it proposes that the entire UK stays in the Customs Union and Single market and essentially subject to the European Court of Justice until that border issue is resolved. AND that we cannot make that decision. The EU will decide when that issue is resolved, so in effect we stay in the EU indefinitely. Oh, and we pay them nearly £40 billion as a sweetener for a future trade deal that may or may not be to our advantage. In the meantime - because we remain in the Custom Union we're unable to negotiate any independent trade deals in the meantime.

Even Remainers are against it, arguing that whilst we were in the E U we did at least have the limited power of VETO - and Article 50 which gave us the 'legal option' to leave. Under this proposed deal we lose both. Hotel California +++

Maria Zannini said...

Holy moley! That's insane!

Do you think that can happen? I never saw EU as a good thing--not for strong economies like Britain, but getting stuck in limbo is worse. It's like breaking your legs and told you had to jump out of burning hotel room.

What a mess. I hope it works out for you guys.