A Tale of Two Countries

Here we are back in Greece and what a reversal of fortunes there has been. Two years ago, there seemed to be a certain stability in the UK after the 2015 general election while Greece was in turmoil, politically and economically. Now it is the Greeks who are enjoying stability and increased prosperity - though they still have a long way to go - while the British are in utter turmoil. From a distance, the fast-growing crisis at home seems even more stark. There are still so many blinkered fools who can't or won't see what is happening and what the consequences will be. People were already angry, which is why so many voted Leave, but when they realise they have been conned and suffer the disaster that is hitting them, their finances, their prospects and their country, they will be very, very angry indeed. I see two alternatives. In one, Jeremy Corbyn grasps the seriousness of the situation and swings Labour behind Remain. Not likely, admittedly, but if he understood that would mean he will be prime minister in a year, it may happen. The other alternative is that nothing changes, the government collapses, Brexit negotiations descend into an even greater farce than when they started, the economy falls off a cliff and the NHS virtually collapses. You can expect riots on the streets next summer when that happens. There were equally dire warnings about Greece two years ago but they had a clever left-wing leader who held a referendum - we were here during it - and then pretty well ignored the result to do what was right for his country, painful though it was and continues to be. What is happening in the UK is so insane that it is impossible to prophecy where it will end, except that it will be very nasty. More damage has been done to our country already than was imaginable a couple of years ago. We are the laughing stock of the world - and that is quite an achievement when Donald J. Trump is in the White House.