THE RESIGNATION of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary was only delayed until he was faced with dying from shame if he held back any longer.
In his resignation letter to May he complained: ‘We have postponed crucial decisions – including the preparations for no deal. . . We appear to be heading for a semi-Brexit, with large parts of the economy still locked in the EU system, but with no UK control over that system.
‘It now seems that the opening bid of our negotiations involves accepting that we are not actually going to be able to make our own laws. . . We are now in the ludicrous position of asserting that we must accept huge amounts of precisely such EU law, without changing it an iota, because it is essential for our economic health – and when we no longer have the ability to influence these laws as they are made. ‘In that respect we are truly headed for the status of colony. . . It is also clear that by surrendering control over our rulebook for goods and agrifoods (and much else besides) we will make it much more difficult to do free trade deals. . .
‘What is even more disturbing is that this is our opening bid. This is already how we see the end state for the UK – before the other side has made its counter-offer. It is as though we are sending our vanguard into battle with the white flags fluttering above them. ‘Indeed, I was concerned, looking at Friday’s document, that there might be further concessions on immigration, or that we might end up effectively paying for access to the single market.’
The majority of the UK ruling class are now prepared to be the ‘Petainist’ agents of the European Union. This is truly the period of the death agony of British imperialism! Johnson is part of a section of the UK ruling class that would prefer to be completely under the thumb of the USA. No doubt when President Trump visits the UK later this week he will tell Johnson that there can be no trade deal with the USA unless May is removed as Tory leader and Britain leaves his trade war rival, the EU.
However as Johnson observed, May has refused to make any preparations for a ‘No Deal’ and that the EU will now launch its counter-offensive probably demanding that the UK pay billions more for any access to the single market. The EU will move to crush the UK in the same way that it crushed Greece. It will take a special pleasure in proving that British imperialism is now a vassal state, that has no option but to obey EU diktats.
As this process emerges, it is obvious that there will be leadership challenges to May, challenges that she already says she will fight. In fact, she is seeking parliamentary support from the Labour, LibDems, SNP and other parties to prevent a vote of ‘no confidence’ succeeding in parliament, a vote that would result in a general election.
After May delivered her report on her Chequers proposals in the House of Commons it was remarkable that Labour did not demand a general election, or pledge that it would put down a motion of no confidence in the government.
Labour and the opposition parties are prepared to prop up a May government to smash Brexit.
When May is forced into a new leadership election inside the Tory Party and loses, she will be prepared to split the Tories and lead a national government to smash the Brexit referendum result.
Meanwhile, life for millions of workers gets more and more desperate with food banks flourishing, thousands sleeping on the streets, the cost of living rocketing and children going to school hungry. And the NHS faces the threat of privatisation that will be the irreversible result of a EU-Canada, or a UK-USA trade deal.
The working class must now move into action to prevent the destruction of the 2016 Referendum result when over 17 million workers instructed the government to leave the EU. The union leaders must be replaced by leaders prepared to call a general strike to bring down the May government and bring in a workers’ government that will immediately break with the EU, and nationalise the banks and the major industries to bring in a socialist UK. It will immediately appeal to the EU and US workers for their full support.