Land of ‘Nope’ and Tory
A letter form a resident of NW Hampshire
Since the outcome of the 2016 Referendum on membership of the European Union the UK government has opined much and often about the wonderful prospects that await the country upon its EU exit. Supposedly a better future, golden: evoking the past glory of Empire… Are we living in a surreal collective trance? Why then has the government begun a 'Brexit resilience fund', if prospects outside the EU are so rosy? In modern times the most productive years for the UK economy have come during our membership of the EU. A disparate Commonwealth and ad hoc trade agreements with other far-flung nations is unlikely the match the prospects offered to us by our European neighbours. There is no strategic sense in following the Tory route map. It is second-best.
Domestic inflation is creeping upwards, quite unnecessarily. As if no-one is making the connection between a weak sterling and expensive imports. It is all down to Brexit, and people should be clamouring for logic to prevail. Yet they are not, and the response to reason from government is 'nope', reminiscent of the Soviet Union's famous Cold War niet. Thus the decline of Great Britain is destined to continue.
Government by the way has not suddenly become benign. The 'will of the people' blarney is assuredly a ruse. The 2016 referendum result suited the Tories, though not one of them has yet provided a rational explanation as to why we should support the damaging outcome of what was merely an advisory vote. It would have seemed reasonable to use the vote as the basis for a discussion on Europe. Not a chance: we now live in a Land of 'Nope' and Tory.
Governing is about power, and in order to stay in charge the UK conservatives are content to allow the country to decline… and disintegrate. Is that a sensible exercise of power? The UK risks losing Scotland - and right now who could blame the Scots? Meanwhile Ireland could well decide to unite. All that might 'remain' - ironic, is it not? - is rump England… why, after all, would Wales wish to participate in a failing union? Something is clearly, fundamentally wrong if we have arrived at this juncture.
Opposition in Parliament must get its act together - before it is too late.
Our reply
The real opposition is now the Liberal Democrats and we will continue to oppose the divisive, destructive polices of our unelected prime minister and her little englander government.