Mayday call proves it’s time for PM to go
WE ALL know Theresa May needs help – not least to protect her from her own furious backbenchers.
But now she has called for aid from her political rivals, asking them to bring ideas to her failing Government.
The move has been described as a desperate crossing of the thin blue line in political cynicism. (And it is a true Tory blue line, is it not?)
This is perhaps her most audacious U-turn yet.
Just three months ago, May presented herself as the hardest and most uncompromising prime minister since Thatcher.
“We will crush the saboteurs,” she cried, absurdly attacking European countries for allegedly interfering in the election she herself had just called.
Now there is no talk of pulverising “Remoaners”. Now we are expected to believe she is a cosy, consensual politician who wants to reach out to other parties to share and share alike.
The offer is another tactical error by the PM, highlighting her lightweight Queen’s Speech that contained little of substance beyond back-to-back Brexit Bills.
It reminds everyone she has always refused any compromise when others have brought her ideas in the past.
She unilaterally ruled out remaining in the single market, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. So if she really wants to compromise, she could start there.
When the Scottish Government suggested this to her last year, she completely ignored them.
Next idea – what about an end to austerity? No more kids on the breadline, no more food banks, just a realistic stimulation of the economy through Government investment.
She talks about fairness. So let’s end the work capability assessment for disabled people. It’s cruel, and the new Theresa is supposed to be kind…
Ditching Trident is an idea worth stealing, too. It will save billions that can be spent on important things such as housing and health.
Of course, since sending out her Mayday call for fresh thinking, the idea most commonly suggested is that she resign immediately.
She is not just a leader bereft of ideas. She has lost all dignity. That surely means it’s time to go.