A Week in Politics: Brexit, IndyRef2, and Trumpageddon

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By Jason Michael

Politics addicts the world over are set to have a feast this week. Europe’s lurch to the right has brought us Brexit, the rise of Le Pen, and plenty of personalities to attend Trump’s big day. It’ll be a busy week. Make the most of it. The end is nigh.

If we had a penny for every time someone said “You couldn’t make this up,” we’d be millionaires. Where it all began we can’t now be sure, but somewhere along the line the world of politics experienced a hostile takeover from the producers of the Twilight Zone. Things are that crazy. Looking at the week ahead it would be easy to think that things are coming to a head, but then it has felt like this for a while. It is more likely the case that this is the new normal. Ignoring all the other exiting stuff that is going on, here is a rundown of the politics you can’t miss this week.

It’s going to be a coin toss for what happens first; either Theresa May and Philip Hammond drive us all over the Brexit cliff edge Thelma and Louise style in her big speech or the Supreme Court steps up and comes to the rescue. As this is British politics the safe money is on the Law Lords continuing to be the establishment lackeys they are and the Prime Minister – the new spokeswoman for the English hard right – riding roughshod over sixty-four million people while giving the bird to Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are even a few bucks riding on her wearing tartan shoes when she does it.

What will the Supreme Court do? That’s anyone’s guess. Considering the High Court has already ruled on Brexit and the exit from the single market by the sole initiative of the Westminster government, we can assume the twelve lords-a-laughing will side with the government. The Institute for Government, in its “Four-nation Brexit” report, has already said that while this course of action violates the spirit of devolution it is constitutional. More than violating the spirit – or what might still end up being the ghosts – of devolution, Theresa May’s imperious stance risks provoking another independence referendum in Scotland and breaking the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

As if we needed more heartache, the Donald has his coronation on Friday. In case there are some out there who are still hopeful that this doesn’t spell the coming of the apocalypse; other than the entire editorial staff of Breitbart and a selection of pro-Israel hawks and other white supremacists, Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, and Austria’s neo-Nazi head banger Heinz-Christian Strache have all been invited to the ball. Let’s not get too worked up over this. It’s still going to be a job of work for the new POTUS to beat the Obama body count. With Hillary on the trigger the Obama administration successfully managed drop bombs on every single day of his presidency.