As someone who is avid about British Politics, I am, of course, a weekly consumer of BBC’s Question Time. If you didn’t already know - and if you didn’t I am truly sorry - Question Time is a debate-style programme that showcases the views of people across the political spectrum and the political sphere. To maintain a balance, there is always a Labour Representative and a Conservative Representative - didn’t you know Britain is in a two-party system now? Although this ensures the primary political parties are represented, it leads to, almost without fail, an hour filled with political point-scoring and jibes at past and present government failures.
On the off hand, this variety of interaction wouldn’t bother me; Labour has to oppose the government with their proposed alternative, and I must admit that an occasional Tory insult does make me chuckle. But, especially in our current climate, hearing the members of Parliament focus more on their popularity than their policy is entirely disheartening.
I am a staunch left-winger but seeing Labour so obsessed with the failures of this government, rather than being able to suggest effective oppositional policy, is making me lose hope in this Party’s leadership. Even Corbyn, the icon of the millennials, seems unsure of his Brexit stance because his Party, just like every other organisation, is entirely divided on what Britain’s future should be. Each time Brexit is debated - which is practically every week - Labour seems confused, and David Dimbleby often has to revert to harsh, blunt questions to coax even somewhat of a valid answer out of the Labour Rep. Some state that, “Of course, we must stay in the Customs Union and the Single Market as otherwise Britain would be committing international suicide.” But, when Dimbleby outed Barry Gardiner as a Brexiteer by referencing the MPs suggestion that Labour’s Brexit policy was “bollocks”, it must be accepted that Labour is just as “stable” on Brexit as May’s government has been thus far - another Minister resigned, you say? Who would have guessed?
The Conservatives, sadly, aren’t doing much better as highlighted when Boris Johnson - ‘The Sun’s favourite - openly criticised his own Party’s policy with the Customs Union as “crazy. It seems like the real ‘crazy bollocks’ in British politics is the two main parties’ inability to make their minds up on, possibly, the most important issue in 21st Century Britain.
So, when conflict within Labour and the Conservatives is visible even to a blind man, wouldn’t it be lovely to finally see some cohesion? Although its often hard to believe, the people in Westminster are smart and competent politicians, but in our current political climate, they are so restricted by Party line that creating effective policy seems impossible. Rather than Tories having to be Tories and Labour having to be Labour, consensus between the different Brexit stances, regardless of Party would allow genuine discussion; hopefully, by March 2019, negotiations would therefore actually be complete. Question Time has showcased just how toxic Party Politics can be, especially when politicians are under so much stress to deliver a valid plan on how to implement Brexit. Without such harsh restrictions and animosity between Britain’s two leading Parties, perhaps the public would still have faith in Westminster. Perhaps, Boris Johnson and Barry Gardiner could bond over their “crazy” and their “bollocks” and create a Brexit policy that isn’t red or blue, but instead means then when March comes around, Britain isn’t left on the floor after a European beating, but is instead in tact and independent, because that is what Britain voted for.