Separated at birth?

This is getting uncanny. Spooky. Weird.

Last year Arlene Foster was deposed as leader of the DUP and was succeeded by Edwin Poots, after a contest between him and Jeffrey Donaldson. After some three weeks, Poots was deposed and replaced by the man he had beaten just a few weeks earlier, Jeffrey Donaldson. 

This year, Boris Johnson was deposed as leader of the Tory party and was succeeded by Liz Truss, after a contest between her and Rishi Sunak. After some six weeks, Truss has been deposed and will be replaced by….Well, we don’t know, but Rishi Sunak is among the front runners. 

Are the Tories and the DUPers engaged in some sort of mimicking act?

Maybe you remember when the Brits used to laugh at Italy, the way it kept changing leader after leader at dizzying speed? Remember when the British monarchy was credited as the source of the great stability that existed in British politics and British society.

So when did all that end? At what point did Britain go from being a fairly respectable country, not as strong as it once was but not bad, certainly a country that erred on the side of caution in its politics. Now it’s jostling and punching in Westminster, shouts and accusations, betrayals, elections on the promise of a manifesto that is promptly dumped as soon as elected. What poison has entered the blood-stream of Mother Britain?

Brexit.  There are other contributing factors – the war in Ukraine, inflation, all sorts of stuff. But the building block that has been removed and destabilised steady-as-she-goes Britain is membership of the EU.

Remember when Boris Johnson promised an oven-ready deal? Sunny uplands where Britain would finally be free to be herself? Availing of all sorts of deals and becoming the envy not just of Europe but the world? Remember but try not to dwell on it – it’ll only give you headaches. 

Hands up everybody in NEI who still appreciates the benefits of being an integral party of the UK? Everybody who voted not to leave the EU? Everybody who is filled with dread at the approaching winter, with energy and food prices what they are  – and probably worse to come?

Even the dimmest of Brexiteers must now be seeing that in the twenty-first century, international co-operation is the only option, close partnership in trading, is fearr le ceile – it’s better when we’re together than apart. 

Will the Tories see the error – and consequences – of their actions? Will the DUP drop its blustering and digging in and closing its eyes to what’s coming down the road? 

Probably not. Why change the (bad) habits of a lifetime?