The Labour party is divided. The Tories – and by extension the country – are under new leadership. In the three weeks since the referendum, British politics has seen more crises than many of us can remember.
And it’s not going to get any better, not for a long time yet. The parties are not just tearing themselves apart over policies and personalities; they are engaged in a furious battle to decide what they stand for, heart and soul. Is the Conservative party a bastion of Cameronite liberalism or a reactionary collection of near-Ukippers? Does Labour want to tackle the 21st century’s great questions of liberation, climate change and inequality, or to lament the decline of industrialism and the loss of a loyal working class?
These are big questions, but they cannot be answered until the biggest one of all is decided. What do we want Britain’s role in the world to be once we leave the EU? Inward-looking or internationalist? Open or protectionist? That decision will shape Britain’s role in Nato, the Middle East and the global economy.
But decisions about the European Union should raise broader questions about what kind of a country we want Britain to be. Do we want an economy based on rampant capitalism or gradations of social democracy? Has the time come for proportional representation? And perhaps most importantly of all, will the kingdom remain united?
It is only through providing these answers that the parties can decide what they will look like. The suggestions put forward will shape what is possible. We may find that Labour and the Tories discover their places in this new world, or perhaps those labels will go the way of the Whigs and Liberals – descriptions for a different time. New parties may be better placed to represent the new divisions which have opened up in society.
Both of our major parties should get it over with and split. Perhaps each will form two splinter groups: one moderate and one extreme. This would leave us in the new position of having four semi-major parties to choose from, and could perhaps usher in a new era of coalition government. People may even – at a stretch – feel better about democracy when they can cast votes for parties which more accurately reflect their views.
Another possibility looms, although it has perhaps become less likely with Theresa May’s victory over Andrea Leadsom. That is for the moderate wings of each existing party to band together, sweeping up the remnants of the Liberal Democrats, and form, if not a party, a modernist coalition – a broader SDP, if you will. As we leave the EU and become vulnerable to extremist views, this seems the preferable option if the new group can provide a buffer against such nastiness. Leaving the remains of the Labour and Tory parties to make the case for isolationism and radical economic views, this coalition could be the voice of progressivism and moderation. In the current climate, this is exactly what the country needs – although it is far from guaranteed to get it.
Whatever happens, Britain’s political landscape will undergo seismic change. So if you’re already fed up of the chaos and the bickering, it may be time to find a bunker. It will take time for the country to find its way, and even longer for the parties to coalesce around platforms which fit this new reality.
Even once May has become prime minister, she will have Brexit to negotiate. The deal which arises out of that will shape British politics and determine which parties are contesting our elections in the decades to come.
