My Fawlty Towers Theory of British Politics: Consider Basil Fawlty. He hates the French and the Germans. He dislikes immigrants, although his business relies on one. He toadies up to rich people and loves the monarch. He agrees with the Major that things were so much better in the past, when Britain had an Empire. He isn’t really stupid, but he usually acts without thinking about the consequences or having a coherent plan. When things go wrong, he blames everyone else. I have just described Theresa May and the “Hard Brexit” Conservative Party. The tragedy is that they don’t have the equivalent of Polly to clean up Basil’s messes. (It is impossible to see Jeremy Corbyn filling that role. The NY Times has an op-ed piece describing his many failures including his coddling of anti-semitism in New Labour.)

It would be nice to think that there is a chance that the Tories might come to their senses, but the lunatic fringe seems to be firmly in control and May is so desperate to be Prime Minister that I don’t think she cares. There are a few grown ups in the Conservative Party, but I don’t hold out much hope for them. One especially crazed backbencher has proposed that the Treason Act be amended to include any disparagement of Brexit! The long-standing split in the Conservative Party between delusional eurosceptics and more traditional Conservatives (i.e., between the Basils and the Pollys) is not going away. May might find it harder and harder to keep her coalition together as the reality of Brexit (and the resulting economic hardship) nears.

I sometimes feel that we are living through the end of time here in London. The government seems utterly committed to shortsighted and delusional policies that seem incredibly destructive. This wonderful, multicultural London–the financial center of Europe–seems to be facing a sort of existential threat. It is a great city and always will be, but it seems likely that it will be diminished. I find it depressing.

Are UKIPing me? UKIP is the xenophobic party whose sole purpose was to get Britain out of the EU and to get foreigners out of the country. Their leader was the unspeakably creepy Nigel Farage (most recently seen praising Trump after the second debate as a silver back gorilla). The political pressure of UKIP was a factor in Cameron agreeing to the whole Brexit referendum. Having now achieved his horrible dream, Farage retired as leader of UKIP. All hell then broke loose.

First a woman, Diane James, was elected as the new leader (which surprised me, since I didn’t think they had any women in leadership positions). This arguably progressive step lasted less than three weeks. The she resigned “to spend more time with her family”. My theory is that she suddenly realized that she had become of a leader of party of guys overdosed on testosterone, who were essentially unmanageable. Farage came back briefly and then retired again. One of Farage’s protégé, MEP (Member of the European Parliament) Steven Woolfe, threw his hat into the ring and was the favorite, but then got into a fight with another UKIP member at a meeting at the European Parliament and ended up hospitalized with severe injuries close to a coma. (It is a bit hard to figure what UKIP politicians are even doing in the European Parliament, but they got elected and seem to spend most of their time insulting everyone.) On Monday, Woolfe resigned from UKIP, disclosing what everyone already suspected–that he had been cold cocked by one of his UKIP mates (who claims self-defense). Woolfe said that UKIP is ungovernable (which Diane James had figured out) and that he no longer wanted to lead a party that he described a having “something rotten in its core” (not a big surprise to me) and in a “death spiral”. Yet another British political party falling apart.

Meanwhile in Scotland: The Scottish National Party (SNP), led by the impressive Nicola Sturgeon, has emerged to become the serious opposition party. It is hard for them to be really effective in that role, since they are pretty small in Britain as a whole. The SNP is stepping into a vaccuum, since Corbyn never seems interested in the bother of governing.  They are like the “smart cousin” of UKIP in that their core belief is that Scotland should leave the UK, although that is the only sense in which they are comparable. Having lost the referendum a few years ago, that plan was on the back burner until the Brexit vote, which the people of Scotland rejected. Sturgeon has used this as a rallying cry for a new independence referendum, although at this point, the polls are very close and it is not clear that she would succeed. She is trying to use the threat as a way to get Scotland a seat at the Brexit negotiating table, in order to protect Scotland’s interest in continuing free trade with the EU. She is very savvy and is making no commitments yet. But it seems clear to me that if the hard-core Brexiteers succeed in creating a complete break with the EU, she will have the excuse and the ammunition for a new independence vote.

Health: Since I’ve mentioned this in the past, I’ve raised some concerns with some of you. I’m fine. I’m taking blood thinners for clots in my leg, which is decidedly less balloon-like. I went to my GP for the gout and he gave me medication with the warning that many people become violently nauseous taking it. I took it, didn’t vomit, and can now walk without a limp. I’ve resumed exercising. Judie also lit a candle for me at New Unity a few weeks ago when I wasn’t there and I’ve been deluged with well-meaning expressions of concern whenever I show up. It’s a nice reflection of the sense of community that is so special about the place, but I’m sick of it.