So after goodness knows how long the UK government have finally??? hammered out a deal ahead of the UK withdrawal from the EU next March, and many of my fellow Leavers are none too happy, and neither are many Remainers. Pragmatists among them would have us believe it is the best deal in the circumstances and that is supported by those on the other side with who negotiations have taken place. Given the likely disruption, some would say chaos, if there were no deal, this they argue is a necessary compromise. But given the number of angry Tory MPs who believe Theresa May has sold the UK out, as have her DUP allies, there is no guarantee it will be approved by Parliament and with it the potential of back to square one. One unknown quantity is Labour, and it is by no means clear how they would vote other than a. they will hedge their bets given many Labour voters will want out and b. they would like to see a General Election and seeing a divided Tory party they would likely fancy their chances. Whether or not another referendum, the cynics among us would say we will revert to the plan all along and remain.

Having got that off my chest, I need to come clean before offering a view on what could or should happen next. Since we voted out over two years ago, my attention, politically speaking, has turned away from the UK to the USA. The key factor here is Trump and the fascinating drama and civil war that has since and still is unraveling. As for the UK moving toward a clean break from the EU, it has been anything but. My take is the process that has taken place since the surprise EU Referendum result was announced has been shambolic and depressing and part explains my disinterest. My desire to leave has anything intensified as events and pronouncements have taken place making me believe the EU as it stands is NOT a club I want my country to be part off and with the right leadership (sadly lacking) our future outside of the EU is bright. As for the Trump and Brexit relationship, that has also become clearer and both is a lot to do with the fight against globalism and arguable tyranny. This brings me to where the UK is politically and if we can see any hope there.

Whatever my views about Labour and their take on issues that matter, it seems clear to me that when it comes to Brexit I see little and instead empty rhetoric and an dearth of leadership, and when it comes to the Lib Dems and Greens, I see no hope there either, at least as far as the UK future outside the EU goes. The Tories are divided as is all to evident and the Tory government waving the white flag to an unfriendly entity is disgraceful. While I might be more inclined to trust them with the economy there are whole host of other issues outside of Brexit where they are also lacking. As for the civil war in the party that could still well explode, it is not clear how that will pan out. I am not a particular fan of Boris Johnson but, while I confess my relative ignorance of different models being suggested, I concur in the main with the sentiments he recently expressed “Boris: Vote down deal, junk backstop, go for SuperCanada”. “He has laid out the full extent of the damage that would be done if gets through Parliament: “Under this deal we are locked in the EU’s Customs Union; we are forced to accept EU laws, and with no say in the making of those laws. We are prevented from doing free trade deals. “We are about to hand over £39 billion for nothing in return.” And despite the haters saying otherwise, Boris has a solution and proposed path forward: “It cannot go on. We should vote down the deal, junk the backstop, recover our self-belief and go for SuperCanada – and we will thrive mightily.” So Boris Johnson won’t be voting for the deal. But how many more Brexiteer MPs are willing to stand and fight against the capitulation on the table? The British public deserve a Brexit deal – or No Deal – that delivers independence rather than servitude”.

It will be interesting in the weeks to come to see whether BoJo’s ideas will win over party movers and shakers, and as for the argument I confess I need to do more homework in order to understand better and not simply support anything with claims that, to use his words, “delivers independence rather than servitude”. This brings me to the fifth of what I used to regard as the main five players in English politics – UKIP (which I have discussed with other parties in my “Political Perspectives” ebook) . I am not a Kipper but I have voted for them twice: nationally when they were imo the best of a bad lot and locally when the candidate was an old friend who I knew would do a good job if he were elected. Besides the local shenanigans witnessed in recent years, which eventually ended up with UKIP activists defecting to other parties, usually Tory, after the EU Referendum and the stepping down of its charismatic leader, Nigel Farage, the party has been on the wane, and yet there are now signs there may be a resurgence among “deplorables”, given the “sell out” we are now seeing.

I was interested to read an article titled: “Ukip’s transformation into a far-right party is complete”. It has often struck me that Ukip is seen by some as far-right and part of my own belligerence on these matters is reading of good people being vilified who happen to support Ukip ideas. That includes me although as with all parties it must come down to weighing the issues overall and my opposition to racism, xenophobia etc. I have found myself agreeing with a number of Ukip policies, especially regarding Britain’s relationship with the EU and the rest of the world. One of the objections, and why the far-right accusation, is that of bringing Tommy Robinson into the fold. I have already given my view on Tommy in my writings and while I concur he has been a “naughty boy” in the past, a lot of what he says is spot on and his own anger, which doesn’t gel well because of his working class accent and politically incorrect directness, is justified (imo). It wouldn’t surprise me if Ukip will see a resurgence because of what is happening, so – watch this space.

So there you have it – this is my stake in the ground response to what is going on now, with respect to the (it remains to be seen) divorce settlement proposed between the UK and EU, with no doubt a lot more to come. While it is true we are where we are and need to respond accordingly, we are not where we should be. In my gloom, I cannot see a way forward and while I can stick my oar in with posts like these, others will no doubt be fighting the battles. I must watch, pray and be patient, knowing the Almighty will have the final say.

Update 03/12/18: My own local (Tory) MP, James Duddridge, has made it quite clear he does NOT support the deal his leader has hammered out and is soon as things presently stand to be voted on by MPs, and to his credit. Where all this will lead is anyone’s guess.