Shouldn’t local Assocations have the right to select their candidate? It is far from obvious to us that the answer is no.
Don’t be so distracted by the actors – and all the talk of deselection and elections – as to miss the drama’s bigger picture.
The new Prime Minister will inherit the worst political legacy in living memory – with the very barest of working majorities.
There are all these ghastly photos of them hugging passers by and avoiding difficult questions.
Amidst verbal and actual violence, it is tempting to seek to shut down, say, Farage or Lammy altogether. But politics without anger would be impossible – and undesirable.
There is more sympathy across the House for the Prime Minister than one would guess from the headlines.
Hers or Letwins? That’s what the choice is narrowing down to. From the point of view of trust in politics, how MPs vote will now make little difference – if any.
This week has seen Parliament grab control, and this has serious implications for the practices of responsible government.
There’s little that Conservative MPs can do to stop the Speaker – they don’t have the votes to depose him.
A dedicated band of Conservative pro-Brexit holdouts stands ready to perish rather than let May’s deal pass.
The Prime Minister is also astute enough to get Gove to make the case for Meaningful Vote Three.
Perhaps we will find out today why Downing Street and the whips stuck with a motion that risked revolt by ERG members and second referendum backers alike.
Had he not founded the European Research Group, we might very well be subject to the Withdrawal Agreement or have never had the chance to vote Leave.