Another bogging election: But if it helps Britannia off her knees, then it’s worth it

Credit Jeremy Corbyn for his political instincts in hardly mentioning Brexit during the run-up to the latest election. He clearly realised that Teresa May’s plea for a stronger mandate to negotiate Brexit would quickly turn into yet another tedious and typical general election. And of course the usual suspects take centre stage: the NHS, jobs, security, immigration, the NHS, energy, taxes, pensions, defence, transport and of course the NHS, not to mention the nurses and our children’s children and their children blah blah…

All this may be a pain, but a resounding Conservative victory is probably required to achieve a good or even equitable deal with Europe. It’s probably an even more important reason for an election than allowing the electorate to give Teresa May a mandate, or otherwise, to continue as Prime Minister. After all, it was a resignation, rather than an election, that brought her to Number 10. However, it’s a pity that Teresa May’s mandate for the EU negotiations has to be achieved via a full-blown general election with the usual plethora of policies in the various manifestos. These are clearly important but aren’t the main reason behind the election.

A stronger mandate should never have been required as the UK should be in a position of strength, being the largest market for EU goods and services, larger than even the US or China. But it seems some diehard bremainers are using any method to frustrate or even sabotage the negotiations, with the aim of somehow ultimately staying in the EU. Factions of the Conservative party and both Houses of Parliament have sought to tie the government’s hands during the EU negotiations, rather than allowing the government, unfettered, to carry out the people’s will.

The UK has voted to exit the EU, so it should be a gentlemanly (no gender bias implied) and straightforward exercise to tie up the loose ends and part as best of friends. The UK’s departure from the EU has been likened to a divorce. However, in a divorce both partners receive an equitable share of the wealth to which they’ve both contributed. In a hard-line stance which may become typical, it seems that the EU is establishing an initial negotiating framework which, amongst other things, avoids recognising this part of the separation. Instead, the EU appear to be concentrating on increasing any payments they feel are still owed by the UK to the EU. Under such circumstances, a strong mandate from the people for the UK’s negotiating position is essential. As if the negotiations aren’t going to be difficult enough, there are other factors influencing the discussions that are not related to the ultimate aims of the negotiations. For example, politicians who have elections in their own countries are therefore likely playing to two different galleries. And of course there are the hard-line federalists in the EU who wish to discourage other countries from leaving and who therefore want to make it as difficult as possible for the UK.

So the UK therefore needs to be strong and resolute in its exit negotiations with the EU, and with a correspondingly strong mandate to silence those who would undermine and obstruct the process. We should ignore the tedium of another general election and just vote to give Teresa May her mandate.