THE EU crisis of the Tory party has really reached the point of no return when the US President, Donald Trump, is able to intervene and say that he would have handled things differently from PM May and would have been much tougher with the EU – ‘I would have said that the European Union is not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out.’
The Tory party is now having to take lessons from Donald Trump on how to deal with the EU after its own leadership split over the issue, from top to bottom. It is already being treated as another US dependency something like the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico!
The US leader who has temporarily lifted the axe that was aimed at Bombardier is currently promising that an alliance with the US would mean, a super duper trade deal. He seems to be considering a big deal, a UK take-over!
His man in the UK cabinet, dual US-UK national Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, was however savaged by ‘soft’ Brexit Cabinet Ministers last week – led by Chancellor Hammond – when he demanded a Brexit dividend for the NHS, not waiting for a cabinet meeting, about to take place, to discuss it.
He was slapped down, but Chancellor Hammond has caused fury among the Brexiteers with his claim that Brexit would involve ‘very modest’ changes to the status quo, and leave the EU very much in charge.
Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, the convenor of the 40-strong pro-Brexit, European Research group of MPs has also accused the government of a ‘timid and cowering’ approach to the Brexit talks.
He has warned: ‘The leader is important but the party is more important. Brexit is more important than anyone other than the Queen.’ The stage has now been reached for the organisation of an open struggle for the Tory leadership.
Former Tory party chairman, Grant Shapps, has announced that unless the prime minister announces a timetable for the end of her ‘uninspiring’ leadership, she could soon face a vote of no confidence.
Amongst those scrambling for May’s job, are some new 2010 intake MPs. One of them, an ambitious Tory MP tipped as a future leader has added his voice to the chorus of disapproval – warning unless improvements were made Jeremy Corbyn would win the next election.
Plymouth MP, Johnny Mercer, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We need to be doing better, or we will pay the price.’ Another young leadership contender is the Defence Secretary Gareth Williamson. He just a few days ago got the maximum amount of publicity possible when he released the the sensational ‘fake news’ that the Russians are planning to kill hundreds of thousands of Brits in the very near future.
This sensational news, which many MPs have treated with derision as a work of fiction, was made at the same time as this leadership contender fell a victim to the current sex war being waged in the Tory party, and had admitted that he had left his job at a fireplace company before becoming an MP on ‘amicable terms’ after kissing a colleague on ‘a couple of occasions’.
This good fellow had decided to quit his job because he had not wanted a constant reminder of his infidelity. Grant Shapps has revealed that many Tory MPs are this weekend sending letters to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Tory party’s 1922 Committee, calling for a leadership contest. If Sir Graham receives a total of 48 letters, he is obliged under party rules to initiate that contest with a confidence vote.
Anti-May Tories have been eager to reveal that up to 40 letters demanding a leadership contest have already gone in, and that a leadership contest is just a matter of time. Labour is just standing and watching this pantomime as its crisis also deepens with many of its MPs demanding that Labour move to the right and reject Brexit and keep in the single market and the customs union.
Corbyn is resisting this drive led by his shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer – and confirmed on yesterday’s Andrew Marr programme that he remained opposed to the calling of a second referendum.
Despite Corbyn’s position, Labour is being pushed to the right by its Blairite majority MPs, who are waiting for the right moment to split Labour and join a common front with Tory ‘remainers, the SNP and the LibDems to mount an anti-Brexit coup, ditching Corbyn in the process.
The working class must take action to put an end to this parliamentary pantomime. There must be a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers government that will immediately withdraw from the EU, and expropriate the bosses and bankers to put an end to UK capitalism and to bring in socialism.
This is the way to beat the EU and create the conditions for the workers of Europe to remove the EU and replace it with the Socialist United States of Europe.
