Andy Richardson: 'Sunday signals the death of Britain’s Brexit dream'
If only political parties ran themselves the way TV stations do.
Beth Rigby, Kay Burley and the partying presenters have found that the Sky isn’t, actually, the limit, following their night on the town. They did wrong, they apologised, they’ve been given time to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If only MPs showed similar leadership.
Then again, if BoJo applied the same rules to his cabinet, he’d probably end up in a room of one. Or, more likely, none, given that he’d have to apply the same rule to himself for his own, many transgressions. Six months from now, when immunisations are rolled out and Brexit has trashed the economy and sent more businesses over the edge, they Cabinet could reconvene to compare notes on conversations with developers, exam fiascos, paid-for holidays, bullying staff and other capers.
The oven ready deal won’t be entering the oven, of course, as Sunday signals the death of Britain’s Brexit dream. The free trade deal that we were promised, the £350 million that was offered for the NHS – at some point, the penny will drop not just with voters but with businesses whose bottom line falls through the floor. We are simply agreeing to be worse off so that we don’t have to engage with the people on the other side of the Channel. It’s as uncomplicated as that.
Still, at least Number 10 is managing the messages with aplomb. While we know every detail of the menu that BoZo and Ursula von Delaying ate when they convened in Brussels, we know little of what they actually discussed. Good to see priorities are where they ought to be; focusing on fish dinners rather than fish markets.
At least Taylor Swift is bringing joy to the world. As the entertainment industry has screeched to a halt across the world, she’s spent the time making blissful records that are likely to win her Grammies. If only Oliver Dowden were her best mate.
Anybody know how track and trace is doing? We’ve spent £22 billion on the scheme that was supposed to provide us with some security ahead of the mass roll out of immunisations. No surprises, therefore, that it’s scored a 40% pass rate, or, more accurately, 60% of contacts are not reached. It’s a complicated business, for sure, but then so is sitting a maths GCSE. And if you only score 40% the examining board tells you you’re not good enough to pass and that you really ought to have done better.
