14th March 2023
If one tries to look objectively at the current government of the United Kingdom as a government then a balanced view would say that it was doing certain things better than others.
In foreign policy, for example, the government is beginning to look almost normal.
Here is a former senior official at the foreign office:
Credit where it’s due. #Sunak’s orchestration of #WindsorFramework, Paris summit, #AUKUS event & refresh of #IntegratedReview has been impressive & is finally bringing a degree of coherence & balance to UK post #Brexit international policy.
— Simon Fraser (@SimonFraser00) March 14, 2023
And this thread is very interesting on that integrated review.
But.
But, but, but.
In domestic policy the government is still either clowning around and/or being cruel with its culture war stuff.
The illegal migration bill is being forced through parliament without any proper scrutiny.
The outstanding Dr Hannah White of that fine squadron of analysts at the Institute of Government has set out the dangers of this reckless speed – and how it is becoming too common a feature of modern legislation.
The Illegal Migration Bill highlights how expectations of legislative scrutiny have plummeted, says @DrHannahWhitehttps://t.co/Z9qoHlduwY
— Institute for Gov (@instituteforgov) March 13, 2023
It does not need to be this way.
And the new almost-normality of the international policies of the government shows that the government is able to shift its approach – when it wants to do so.
Unfortunately the government ministers in charge of domestic policy appear to be wedded to culture war antics because they cannot think of anything else to do.
Yet, it is not inevitable – and perhaps the government will drop this and other awful Bills – on retained EU law and the Bill of Rights – as well as dropping the ministers who promote such bills.
Perhaps.
It is unlikely, of course – but then a few months ago, it seemed unlikely we would have a grown-up approach to foreign policy.
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Well I suppose we should be grateful for something from this set of charlatans. They could have carried on pretending that everything is just fine. It is a small mark of progress that realism has gained a tiny foothold.
Foreign policy requires dealing with actual other countries, and they won’t be fobbed off by platitudes, lies, and ludicrous assertions, whatever Johnson and co thought. The EU and the USA have actual power, which gives them some clout dealing with isolated UK. And as an aside, gives constituent parts of those polities power – hence Ireland’s ability to have its interests supported against Brexitania.
Tory domestic policy still works on the basis that if you keep fibbing, enough people will believe you to get you elected. Hence the focus on culture war stuff, since it doesn’t need actual evidence to be effective, electorally.
Yesterday we got a defence spokesman talking about “our world-beating armed forces”. I wouldn’t recommend trying to beat the world with one’s armed forces even if you are as big and highly armed the USA. And we aren’t. When did “world-beating” come to mean “quite good”?
The government is just pathetic at the moment. If they weren’t so malevolent, you could almost be sorry for them.
I’ve noted here how impressed I’ve been with Sunak as PM. I suspect there’s another side to it, which is that he’s a snake in the grass who knows what needs to be done. It’s thought he may have been behind that unforgettable lockdown photo of Boris surrounded by bottles of wine and making a toast.
He needed the support of Raab and Braverman to get the job, or so it seemed. He probably doesn’t like them. I think at his core he is not such an ideologue. He’ll let them wind themselves up. Raab likely will not survive this bullying probe. He’s basically sidelined already.
Braverman is just awful. She’d already been disciplined and forced to resign. Perhaps the recent controversies will stain her further.
It seems to me that Sunak, being the pragmatist, has already accepted that he probably won’t survive a general election. He’ll go down as the PM who actually got Brexit done properly. It will be interesting though to see what happens to these other two in particular.
I fear that the recent improvement in foreign policy is imposed by circumstances. I don’t think it’s a sign the Government is improving in its legistlative ability.
The Windsor Framework has been a possibility all along, but the small minded Brexit isolationists refused to consider it until it became an economic and political necessity.
AUKUS is a result of international diplomacy, requiring responsible behaviour from Sunak, and for the UK a chance to have a win over the French.
The Paris Summit is the only practical alternative the Government has to “Stop the Boats” legislation if it refuses to invest in properly resourcing the asylum system and providing safe roots for asylum seekers from all parts of the world. And it certainly will not consider those options even though they will stop the boat completely and effectively.
I might conceed that the Government’s Foreign Policy has improved when the Rwanda Deal is cancelled and asylum seekers are no longer considered illegal immigrants.
It seems to me the government has achieved a new level of incompetence when event the title of the Illegal Migration Bill highlights its own legal status in international terms. It is illegal.
Rishi seems to be following the advice to “deal with the crocodile nearest the boat”:
1. Nobble Boris – done
2. Disable the ERG – done
3. Stop pissing off the EU and other foreigners – getting there
4. Lure Braverman et al into an impossibility trap – in hand
But his scope for actual rebuilding is limited by the ‘talent’ he has available.
It’s interesting to note how the Labour party in becoming more ‘acceptable’ is welcoming back many of those ex-MPs and prospective MPs who were either driven out or left out of sheer despair.
Cummings and Johnson did much the same (as Corbyn’s apparatchiks) in the the Tory party by driving away many of their experienced talent. Perhaps Sunak’s next steps will see some of them invited back into the fold. I really don’t like popcorn but I might have to make an exception…
I think the simple fact is, the wheel of blame is now back on immigration/asylum seekers and less so on things related to the EU, hence Sunak doing something about the NI impasse. I’m sure when it’s expedient to do so, things will revert back to bashing the European Union.
The politics of the the UK seems to me to be largely built on spite, blame and crackdowns and at this time we are currently told to punch down at those fleeing war or oppression from abroad. I’m sure in due course the wheel of blame will turn to people without jobs for whatever reason or people in jobs being told there jobs are not worthy enough, or the EU. In no particular order.
Eventually, maybe, the people of this country will look across the channel and start punching in the general direction of up, at those who’ve caused their misery. But I’m not holding my breath.