This is not the time for indulgent antics
THIS is a season of temptation for MPs. The radical change in the political weather has created new opportunities for ambitious parliamentarians.
Theresa May’s days as Prime Minister are numbered. The search for her successor is very much on.
In Labour ranks, the scramble for shadow cabinet positions has begun. Less than a year ago there were mass resignations; now sharp-elbowed MPs are vying for a place on Team Corbyn.
Very recently, the election did not look like a contest which would give smaller parties the chance to play kingmaker. But now the DUP’s master negotiators are determined to wring the most lucrative deal yet out of the Tories in return for support on only the most crucial votes.
The possible delay to the Queen’s Speech indicates the degree to which business as normal has come to end. Voters declined to hand any party a majority and an era of instability has begun.
Unfortunately, uncertainty can prove toxic for the economy. We know what happens when investment is choked off: jobs are not replaced, wages stagnate, expansion stops.
Local businesses are already braced for the disruption of Brexit and international investors are waiting to see how this epic drama unfolds.
There would be enough uncertainty to cause havoc if Mrs May was beginning Brexit negotiations backed up by a colossal army of loyal Conservatives. But the minority status of her government means an even greater magnitude of instability could await.
MPs with different visions for Britain’s future will seek to win majority support – and as things stand the PM will be just one MP among many trying to persuade independently-minded politicians to back her position.
This could prove a fascinating exercise in democracy with party discipline breaking down and people defying whips to back wildly different Brexit plans. It would be precisely the type of situation Mrs May sought to avoid.
What matters most in the days and months ahead are not the fortunes of political parties but the livelihoods of ordinary men and women who have suffered years of flatlining pay and are fearful of what comes next. Self-indulgent and ideologically-driven politicians could swing a wrecking ball straight into the hopes and aspirations of families in each nation.
As MPs gather in Westminster this week they deserve to feel pride at their election. Getting to represent thousands of citizens is one of the greatest honours an individual can receive and they have every reason to feel thrilled when they walk through Member’s Lobby and take a seat on the green benches.
They just need to remember that what really matters is not whether they get a shiny portfolio but that the millions of people who live far from the sight of Big Ben have the best life chances in the years ahead.
MPs have the opportunity to shape the story of Britain; we hope this chapter is not a tragic farce. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2014 was 78.5%