Saturday, December 01, 2018
The Prometheus syndrome
For those who are not aware of the legend, was a Titan, culture hero, and trickster figure who is credited with the creation of man from clay, and who defies the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity. As a punishment, he is sentenced to eternal torment. The immortal Prometheus was bound to a rock, where each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent to feed on his liver, which would then grow back overnight to be eaten again the next day.
I am not sure at the moment whether to apply that analogy to Theresa May's Government, to Brexit itself, or to the British people who are having to suffer the torment of watching both sink to their inevitable and painful doom in slow motion.
The resignation of yet another Government Minister last night, is being seen as a significant act. As the Telegraph reports, Sam Gyimah is the seventh member of the Government to quit since Theresa May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement. Mr Gyimah, who was the the universities and science minister, says the plan was “not in the British national interest” and that voting for it would “set ourselves up for failure” by surrendering “our voice, our vote and our veto”. He cites the EU’s continued wrangling over the Galileo satellite project as the deciding factor in his resignation.
Significantly, Mr Gyimah says it is wrong to rule out alternatives that merit “serious consideration”, such as extending the Article 50 deadline and “asking the people again what future they want”. The paper adds that this is another blow for the Prime Minister at the end of a week in which Donald Trump said her plan jeopardised the chances of a UK-US trade deal and the number of Tory MPs to publicly state they will vote against the plan in the Commons reached 100.
Downing Street is said to be now braced for further ministerial resignations over the weekend before Parliament begins formally debating the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.
Whether Theresa May's Government will still be in one piece at the time of the vote in Parliament has yet to be seen. Presumably, she is relying on Zeus to put it back together again prior to another day of torment and torture.
I am not sure at the moment whether to apply that analogy to Theresa May's Government, to Brexit itself, or to the British people who are having to suffer the torment of watching both sink to their inevitable and painful doom in slow motion.
The resignation of yet another Government Minister last night, is being seen as a significant act. As the Telegraph reports, Sam Gyimah is the seventh member of the Government to quit since Theresa May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement. Mr Gyimah, who was the the universities and science minister, says the plan was “not in the British national interest” and that voting for it would “set ourselves up for failure” by surrendering “our voice, our vote and our veto”. He cites the EU’s continued wrangling over the Galileo satellite project as the deciding factor in his resignation.
Significantly, Mr Gyimah says it is wrong to rule out alternatives that merit “serious consideration”, such as extending the Article 50 deadline and “asking the people again what future they want”. The paper adds that this is another blow for the Prime Minister at the end of a week in which Donald Trump said her plan jeopardised the chances of a UK-US trade deal and the number of Tory MPs to publicly state they will vote against the plan in the Commons reached 100.
Downing Street is said to be now braced for further ministerial resignations over the weekend before Parliament begins formally debating the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.
Whether Theresa May's Government will still be in one piece at the time of the vote in Parliament has yet to be seen. Presumably, she is relying on Zeus to put it back together again prior to another day of torment and torture.
