New parties may be better placed to represent the new divisions which have opened up in society.īoth of our major parties should get it over with and split. We may find that Labour and the Tories discover their places in this new world, or perhaps those labels will go the way of the Whigs and Liberals – descriptions for a different time. The suggestions put forward will shape what is possible.
It is only through providing these answers that the parties can decide what they will look like. Do we want an economy based on rampant capitalism or gradations of social democracy? Has the time come for proportional representation? And perhaps most importantly of all, will the kingdom remain united? What do we want Britain’s role in the world to be once we leave the EU? Inward-looking or internationalist? Open or protectionist? That decision will shape Britain’s role in Nato, the Middle East and the global economy.īut decisions about the European Union should raise broader questions about what kind of a country we want Britain to be. These are big questions, but they cannot be answered until the biggest one of all is decided. Is the Conservative party a bastion of Cameronite liberalism or a reactionary collection of near-Ukippers? Does Labour want to tackle the 21st century’s great questions of liberation, climate change and inequality, or to lament the decline of industrialism and the loss of a loyal working class? The parties are not just tearing themselves apart over policies and personalities they are engaged in a furious battle to decide what they stand for, heart and soul. In the three weeks since the referendum, British politics has seen more crises than many of us can remember.Īnd it’s not going to get any better, not for a long time yet. The Tories – and by extension the country – are under new leadership.