Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. Matthews, could 2019 be 1688 all over again for the Mother Country?
While I hope more civility will prevail and Tessie will not see the Tower of London other than as a private citizen tourist, she could easily end up reviled as the worst PM, the modern UK has known, beating out Chamberlain for that dubious title.
The situation is developing further. The recent local elections for County and other local governments have seen a huge defeat for the Tory party who have lost several hundred seats - and control of several local governments. It is not clear why the electorate voted against them, but the general air of incompetence may well be the main reason. The main beneficiaries have been the Liberal Democrats, the only unequivocal Remain party. The Labour party, which has fudged its policy caused by a leader who seems to be in favour of Leave and a membership largely in favour of Remain also lost seats, though not as many as the Tories. Are we heading towards a General Election, or a second Referendum on EU membership? There have been increasing calls at meetings of the Tory party for the Prime Minister's replacement. The future seems very uncertain. I think leaving the EU looks increasingly unlikely.
As to rail policy there are also calls for a change there too. The current plan to build a new High Speed line from London to the North is showing signs of costing far more than estimated. There are several other High Speed rail projects - mainly in the North - which would be more beneficial at less cost. A new non-Tory government is very likely to cancel the High Speed route and to invest in some of the other projects. More electrification would also be expected. Unlike the US Britain's carbon dioxide output is reducing, and there are increasing calls to seriously reduce it to zero as soon as possible.