Lilico: Theresa May has an opportunity to choose Britain's path which comes but once in a centur
This article appeared in the Daily Telegraph and is presented with the permission of the author.
Theresa May faces a very rare situation as Prime Minister: she has almost no restrictions on her for strategic action.
Within the Conservative Party her rivals were so disorganised they were unable even to field a candidate against her. Outside the Party her rivals are even more chaotic. Across Parliament, opposition is so diffuse and whipping so ill-disciplined (at least, outside the SNP) that a notional majority of 12 regularly turns into a practical majority of 30 and more. The Labour Party is in the process of dying in England, having already done so in Scotland.
Boundary changes will take them below 200 seats in 2020 and the combination of internal disunity and Ukip in the North may mean they struggle to reach 150. The Lib Dems have already vanished. Brexit has triggered a steep fall in the Ukip vote. May could easily have a notional majority of 100 after 2020 and the effective majority may be much higher.
Meanwhile the UK faces no military threat that forces it to make alliances with countries it might otherwise eschew — no Napoleon, no Kaiser, no Stalin. We do not depend on any one country for vital resources or economic support — no oil or gas pipeline from one country keeps the lights on; no IMF or Eurozone loan keeps the banks from going bust.
The full article may be accessed by visiting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/21/theresa-may-has-an-opportunity-to-choose-britains-path-which-com/