And so Britain lingers on into the abyss

FOR over two years, Brexit has seen a lot of things once thought impossible become rather frighteningly possible.

From the once-laughable idea that the Brexit referendum would pass, to the notion of a second referendum – after last night’s vote, all bets on UK politics are firmly off.

Theresa May was once resolute in her determination that the UK would leave the European Union on March 29 this year – anything less would be a failure to deliver on the will of the British people. Now delaying that process by extending Article 50 seems like the most logical option available to Britain.

It would allow them badly needed breathing space, a chance to take stock of the madness that has engulfed them since June 23, 2016, and to plot a future for their country that doesn’t involve shortages of toilet roll and other foreboding. It’s the course of action now anticipated by Irish officials.

‘The view now is whatever the outcome, it will be one previously thought to be extremely unlikely,’ a Department of Foreign Affairs source told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘Just a couple of months ago a “People’s Vote” seemed like it would never happen. Now it looks very likely.

‘We think an extension (of Article 50) is the most probable outcome now. The UK will have to find a reason, but the EU will be happy to help them find one if it means avoiding no deal.

‘There are concerns that an extension might not bring us any closer to a solution. But we have to avoid no deal at all costs. An extension, even until April, seems likely.’

So what happens next? Jeremy Corbyn has submitted a motion of no confidence in the UK government. It is likely to be defeated and nothing significant will have changed.

Presuming she survives, Theresa May then goes to Brussels seeking further concessions or reassurances. The EU can offer cosmetic changes, but nothing that substantially alters the deal. The deadlock remains.

The only options left would appear to be a second referendum, or a general election, which would almost certainly lead to a second referendum. Both would require an extension of Article 50.

In the excellent HBO/Channel 4 dramatisation, Brexit: The Uncivil War, the chief ‘Leave’ strategist Dominic Cummings is warned he has created a form of politics that he cannot control. It is that politics, created during the Brexit referendum, that has left the Brits divided with the wounds still fresh.

Despite the utter havoc that has gripped Westminster, and no-deal warnings that become more devastating and dystopian by the day, there are precious few willing to predict that the British public have changed their mind. With just 75 days remaining until the UK ‘takes back control’, what was once just white noise to the vast majority of British and Irish citizens, will start to become a painful reality. When families start to wonder if their life-saving medicine will arrive on time – or expire – the illusion of ‘taking back control’ will be over.