Express & Star comment: Show spirit for sake of our country
Another week, another crisis bubbles just beneath the surface for Theresa May.
Who knows whether Gavin Williamson did say that he made the Prime Minister and could ‘break her’, as has been widely reported.
Sources close to the South Staffordshire MP and Defence Secretary deny this is the case and insist that he is still loyal to Mrs May.
But could it be that this master manoeuverer is being outplayed at his own game in Westminster?
You don’t need to be a political expert to see that the Cabinet Mrs May has assembled is a divided nest of vipers.
We see each one plotting their own ambitious paths with little thought for the greater good.
The only thing that appears to keep this rag-tag bunch together is the knowledge that an early general election would probably see a BBC-backed Jeremy Corbyn ushered into Number 10.
As such, given the scramble for public money among government departments, this administration is little more than a pale blue shadow of Tony Blair’s New Labour.
Real Conservatives appear few and far between, and those that are – including Mr Williamson – are at the mercy of left of centre colleagues in thrall to the London media.
What makes this situation all the more baffling, is that two years ago the people of this great nation voted quite clearly and decisively on an issue that has split the Conservative Party for decades.
The EU referendum should have served as a wake up call for the party.
If ever there was a time for the Tories to have got the message and be emboldened, this was it.
Instead, the duplicitous Michael Gove took it upon himself to torpedo Boris Johnson’s shot at the premiership, and in doing so, inadvertently caused the mess we are now in.
Any pretensions of unity can only be taken with a pinch of salt.
It is hard to see where Mrs May goes from here.
Her leadership appears to be damaged beyond repair, unless she can belatedly find enough backbone to put her house in order.
For the sake of the country, this newspaper desperately hopes she can.
But quite frankly, we won’t hold our breath.
