Our Britain columnist has not lost all faith in his country’s parliament
about what Britain’s greatest historian of “that marvellous microcosm, the House of Commons”, Sir Lewis Namier , might have made of the latest parliamentary shenanigans. Sir Lewis had no time for the idea that politicians are moved by abstract things like political ideologies, let alone nonsense about the good of humanity. They are moved purely by self-interest—by the desire for place, position and preferment, and by the endless play of faction and connection.
At first blush the Brexit crisis proves that Sir Lewis was wrong: a growing list of Conservative politicians have given up high office in order to fight for an abstract ideal of sovereignty. But I wonder? The striking thing about the Brexit rebels is how puffed up they are: look at Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson marching off to Downing Street to lay down the law to the prime minister or Sir Bill Cash delivering long perorations to parliament about sub-clause “Z” of the European Treaty.
A Namierite analysis of the Brexiteers suggests that they consist of three different groups of people who, for different reasons, have decided that their egos are best served by defying their own government. First: has-beens. Mr Duncan Smith was one of the most disastrous leaders the Conservative Party has had. Sir John Redwood’s attempt to become leader is now remembered only for the picture of his supporters, looking like inmates from a lunatic asylum on an away day.
It is also a huge opportunity for the far left.
I don’t have a dog in this fight but I think I’ve come up with a way for the super-rich to fight back: why not project hard-core pornography onto the walls of your glass eyrie whenever you’re out at work, filling your coffers with yet more money, or flying around the world? This might make Tate Modern think twice about funnelling tourists onto its viewing platform.
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