Commentary: With Truss gone, yet another prime minister for the UK in weird time warp

PUBLIC SUFFERS FROM PARTY FACTIONS FIGHTING

Finally, bending space as well as time, the United Kingdom has turned into “Britaly”: A Dr Moreau-like hybrid of Britain and Italy where the bond markets are in charge, growth is sluggish, and only one party is in government, although the personnel seem to change constantly.

This all might seem like an open goal for the opposition Labour Party, which after the election loss in 2019 had resigned itself to further decades of permanent opposition. But there is something to be lamented here.

After the Republican Party in the United States, the Conservative Party is the oldest – and most successful – party in the world. Both parties have become riven with factions fighting what they see as existential ideological battles. The public in both countries suffers as a result.

It is time for the Conservative Party to have “a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down”. If they were in charge of their time warping trajectory, a return to a time before the lunatics took over the asylum would not be a bad place to stop and reflect.

Ben Wellings is a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Monash University. This commentary first appeared on The Conversation.