A Very British Civil War.

 On BBC Two last night there was a brilliant two part documentary about the parliamentary - ding-dong regarding leaving the European Union in: A Very British Civil War. Needless to say there was much - blood on the parliamentary carpet. The Vote Leave campaign had the famous slogan on the side of the battle bus, claiming to save £350 million per week. This slogan had a profound influence on the campaign. During the heated debates about the pros and cons regarding leaving the EU - there was the tragic murder of the MP Jo Cox on 16 June only a week before the referendum on the 23 June. What impact, if any would this terrible event have on the vote the following week? Old friendships and alliances were broken, especially between David Cameron, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. That rupture hasn’t been repaired. I remember seeing the one time prime minister David Cameron, sitting in a bar in Dukes Hotel, St James’s, nursing a pint of beer, looking forlorn and depressed - all alone, apart from a security guard a few feet away and me. Amazingly it will be 10 years on 23 June - we crossed the Rubicon and decided to leave the EU. The vote to Leave was 52% and Remain 48%. 

Following the referendum the country suffered a collective - nervous breakdown and PTSD. We are still living with the consequences of this historic fracture. We had a collection of prime ministers, starting with the immediate departure of David Cameron. In total one after another with: Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and finally Keir Starmer. It’s very likely that he will be defenestrated in the next few weeks. The country isn’t at ease with itself and there is constant iner-communal tensions between different sectors of society. Illegal migration is one of the top issues the public are concerned about, especially those  crossing the Channel on small boats. There is a general sense of malaise across the country, with a feeling of drift and lack of purpose. We are definitely in the political doldrums, especially with Keir Starmer, as prime minister. Can a new one create a sense of purpose and optimism?