Express & Star comment: Time to hold your nose and cast a vote
There is an old saying in British politics designed to apply specifically to troubled times: Hold your nose and vote Tory.
The implication is that even when the Conservatives appear to be in a mess, what the party offers is still better than any of the alternatives.
This argument is precisely the one that Theresa May is using at the moment in an attempt to rally her MPs behind her less than popular Brexit deal.
She has spent much of the past week in one-to-one meetings with them, effectively saying: “You may not like it, but this is the best Brexit you are ever going to get.”
Needless to say, this tactic has put Brexiteers such as Sir Bill Cash, Michael Fabricant, Mike Wood and Eddie Hughes in an awkward position.
They are fully aware of the consequences of opposing Mrs May’s deal.
To back or not to back?
In a worst case scenario it could lead to the downfall of the Government, with the Conservatives jettisoned to the political wilderness for the foreseeable future.
But backing the deal is also fraught with danger.
Peel away the Government spin about this being the best possible deal available, and six months down the line its true nature will emerge.
How will voters respond if and when it becomes clear that Mrs May’s agreement gives Leave backers only a fraction of what they expected following the referendum?
Should the deal pass through Parliament – a possibility that looks more outlandish by the day – there would likely be a backlash from both sides of the Brexit debate as the consequences become apparent.
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For all her faults, Mrs May has shown incredible strength and staying power throughout this whole sorry mess.
It is impossible to think of another politician – either in Government or from one of the opposition parties – who would still be standing after all the flak she has taken over Brexit.
Flawed
The truth is that her Government’s negotiating stance was deeply flawed from the start.
It has been hamstrung by a belief-defying willingness to bow to almost all of the many demands placed on the UK by Brussels.
The inept, almost lackadaisical approach taken by original Brexit Secretary David Davis put the country on the backfoot immediately, and the Government has never managed to recover from a decidedly shaky start.
The fact is that Brexit turned up at a time of deep political turmoil in British politics – particularly where the two main parties are concerned.
It appeared out of nowhere, like the unwelcome uncle at a wedding where the bride and groom already despise each other.
The Tories have used it as a means to thrash out their own personal squabbles, while the issue has highlighted just how much of a confused, disorganised mess the Labour Party is under Jeremy Corbyn.
And some politicians – and we are talking about MPs of all political colours – have sought to derail Brexit at any cost.
As we approach the eleventh hour, Mrs May is running out of time to persuade the unpersuadable.
In today’s Express & Star, the latest – and last? – Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay seeks to assure people in the Black Country and Staffordshire that her deal ensures Britain ‘takes back control’.
Readers will make up their own minds as to whether he is right.
For the time being, the Government’s focus is on getting the deal past MPs. But if that fails and another General Election is called, she will be reliant on the British public to push her version of Brexit through. Such a plan didn’t work out too well for her last time, did it?
