Britain is caught in a holy hell of a Brexit quagmire. Among British MPs, everyone has an idea and no one can get traction.
Some want a second referendum on the EU. Some want an easy-exit deal. Some want Theresa May to go back to Brussels, cap in hand, begging for a better deal. Some just want out, even without a deal.
Opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, he wants a snap election, at least until today that is. Now the polls show it's not May's Conservatives in trouble but Corbyn's Labour Party. Seems Corbyn's lacklustre performance in the Brexit debates have sent Labour's support plummeting. Labour has dropped six points giving the Tories a seven point edge. And that can't be good news for the Tory insurgency led by Boris Johnson either.
Approval for May’s handling of Brexit had increased slightly, while support for Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of the issue has slumped to an all-time low. May’s approval ratings on Brexit edged up slightly to -30%, with 25% approving and 55% disapproving. Her rating had been -33% a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, Corbyn’s net rating on the issue is now -44%, with 16% approving and 61% disapproving. His rating was -40% in the last poll a fortnight ago. Only 42% of current Labour voters approve of the way Corbyn has responded to the government on Brexit, while a quarter (26%) disapprove.The Tories have gained an edge on Labour but that's not to say the British voter likes May's plan very much, or at all.
While the deal is still seen as bad, outright opposition has dropped off in the past weeks. Currently, 15% think May’s deal is good, while 45% think it is bad. In the last poll, only 12% thought it was a good deal and 50% thought it was bad.
Most people would back staying in the EU over May’s deal. If a referendum were held with a choice between the two, 45% would vote to Remain, while 38% would vote for the deal. More than half (55%) of Conservative voters now think their MPs should back the deal, up from 48% last week.To put it simply, this is a trainwreck in the making. There is no consensus emerging in Parliament even as Theresa May is packing an overnight bag for her next trip to Brussels. Hope she doesn't forget to pack her begging bowl.
You're right, this is a train wreck. At this point there is such a mess that it is a train wreck no matter what they choose.
ReplyDeleteAs I type this I'm listening to talk radio in London via the magic of Internet radio. They are questioning whether a hard Brexit is being exaggerated by vested interests. There's no consensus.
Freedom is free markets, free borders and free trade!
ReplyDeleteOnly monstrous, racist, fascists oppose the G-word. (Only fascists use the G-word. That's how you can tell they're fascists!)
If there's a hard Brexit, we're all going to die!
ReplyDeleteThat's the core of the problem, Toby. No one can have any certainty of where the UK and the EU will stand when the clock runs out. Major corporations are sufficiently concerned that they're voting with their feet. Protocols that should be in place or at least getting the last glitches ironed out are not in place because no one knows what's coming. Meanwhile,in the House of Commons, MPs resemble herds of feral cats, attacking each other instead of finding consensus. This morning's Guardian reports on contingency plans for the Royals to evacuate London. They even stayed through the Blitz.
I told you we're all going to die. Brexit is worse WW2!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Brits will grow a pair and come after the Royal family with guillotines! Bring democracy to Oceania. But I really don't think they got it in 'em. (Freedom is slavery; only proles and animals are free.)
There are 66 million people living in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThere are 66 million different opinions on how or what to do.
I don't think any nation has been so divided.
The UK is on a self destruct mission.
It would seem that anyone with any public profile is trying to make his or her name for history whilst neglecting the consequences of the issue.
It's the I want to be another Churchill syndrome!
TB