It's increasingly clear that May is acting, not in the public interest but in that of the Conservative party, and that's very disturbing.A column by Rachel Sylvester, just published in the Times, argues this very strongly; it's behind the paywall (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/may-s-party-first-policy-could-come-back-to-haunt-her-2q88tc5jp), so I'll quote the first three paras here:"As the cabinet met last Tuesday, ministers were still reeling from John Bercow’s decision not to allow a third meaningful vote on the government’s Brexit plan. The country was embroiled in a full-scale constitutional crisis and businesses were warning of a national emergency, but Theresa May’s main concern appeared to be holding the Conservative Party together."I am told that the minutes of the cabinet meeting contain at least five references to the Tories’ narrow political concerns. According to the official account, written by Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, ministers discussed how the government is “committed to delivering Brexit — not to do so would be damaging to the Conservative Party”. And in a clear sign of the political nature of the discussion chaired by the prime minister, the minutes end with the words: “The Conservative Party wants to stay in government and get councillors elected. The arguments in parliament could jeopardise that.”"It is extremely unusual for such language to creep into a civil service note — partisan debates are supposed to be limited to special political cabinet meetings from which officials are excluded. In fact the tone of the minutes was so extraordinary that the issue was raised at this morning’s cabinet meeting by ministers who stressed the importance of governing in the national rather than the party interest."As I said, it's very disturbing and it seems May is going completely off the rails. When will she be reined in (apols for the mixed metaphors)?
Richard Carter ● 2788d