Daily Times

Great Britain’s dilly-dallying with its Brexit adventure has proven far more costly than was previously imagined. The October deadline is fast approaching and the race for a new Tory prime minister has brought the government to a virtual standstill. The main contenders for premiership all look like a recipe for disaster. In quieter times all of them would be described as hard-line. Whoever succeeds Ms May now has the unenviable job of negotiating a divorce deal with the European Union. The EU meanwhile appears quite fed up with the way the talks have dragged on. Outgoing prime minister Theresa May’s rigidity had long been apparent. The talks were thus doomed even as she struck an optimistic note now and then. Even her re-election in June 2017 strongly indicated that the country was headed towards a dead end.

The race for a new prime minister is in full swing. The key contenders – Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt – are all committed to crashing out of the EU should that be the only alternative left. None of them is willing to call another referendum on Brexit. The policy, which might look good in view of the voters’ mood, is not only a dangerous gamble but also smacks of an attempt to muzzle parliamentary check and balance.

The far-right is already having the time of its life. Certain Tory contenders are in cahoots with divisive politicians like Nigel Farage. The voting trends in the recent Eueopean Parliament elections have shown that the far-right won’t give up any time soon. But then there is also a ray of hope in the form of an astounding surge in votes for pro-Remain camp.

The key question remains whether a hard-line Tory PM should be allowed to play the populist or should there be a general election paving way for the sane option of a second referendum? Time is indeed running out and the options are narrowing down with each passing day. Brexit was never meant to bring back imperial glory. The world today is connected through neo-liberalism and globalisation.

Trying to take the country back to the 19th century is something no sane leader would consider an option, much less attempt. The first referendum was certainly marred by misrepresentation, lies and deceit. Ironically, no key member of the Tory party bats an eye today on the questionable policies of its contenders.

Perhaps, a general election should be considered seriously. But the Tories fear a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party. They appear prepared to put the fortunes of the party ahead of the country. Interestingly, most Tory supporters are over 40 years of age – while the rest of the key parties have a larger millennial support base. This explains the stark polarisation in their approach to key issues. *