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With the union under unprecedented strain, it’s time for a radical new vision that goes beyond narrow nationalisms
During his brief tenure as prime minister, Boris Johnson has flaunted his disregard for the tenets of Tory traditionalism. In an eventful few months, he has misled the monarchy and belittled the judiciary. But the bigger surprise has been his indifference to Conservative unionism. While Theresa May’s Brexit strategy faltered partly because she believed in the inviolability of the United Kingdom, Johnson seems relatively relaxed about the prospect of his party surrendering nearly all its seats in Scotland – and, in theory at least, about sacrificing some of Northern Ireland’s statutory Britishness if it will smooth the passage of a Brexit deal.
All of this suggests that Johnson’s vision for government, if it can be called that, is a specifically English one. There is underlying logic here. With Scottish independence and Irish reunification now looming somewhere in the middle distance, it makes sense for Johnson to view unionism as a hopeless cause, and to think about ways of governing England after the United Kingdom crumbles. Continue reading...