Last Friday was Groundhog Day, a strange American tradition most famous for a film of the same name, about a day that repeats itself again and again until poor Bill Murray loses his mind. This week has been Groundhog Week; a strange British tradition where politicians say the same things in circles without reaching any consensus or progressing towards any conclusion. Well, perhaps it has been Groundhog Month actually. Or Groundhog Year.

Paralysis and infighting in the Government about our approach to Brexit has been unrelenting. This week we have seen more signs of obvious disunity, with Conservative MP Anna Soubry publicly threatening to quit if hard line ‘Brexiteers’ take over the Party. These are the kinds of fights we have heard before, and they do nothing but remind the UK and the rest of the world how much of a stalemate this country is still in, and distract from the Government focusing on any sort of domestic agenda.

There is an air of inevitably about this state of affairs however. The challenge on Theresa May’s hands seems almost insurmountable. How are we supposed to find a solution that will please both Anna Soubry and Boris Johnson? How are we supposed to find a solution that will leave no border in Ireland but also take the UK out of the single market? Because of the Government’s lack of a majority, and because of the European Union’s veto system, we have ended up in a situation where in order for progress, everyone needs to agree, and everyone does not agree.

Clearly something will have to give in the end. Perhaps the hard Brexiteers will agree to a softer approach, or vice versa. Perhaps there will be another election which delivers a more decisive result. Or perhaps Brexit will be put on hold, or put to another referendum. Something will have to change, but how and when still remains an unknown. Until this day comes however, the British public must prepare to be Bill Murray a little longer, waking up each day and finding that it is still yesterday.

Photo credit: www.todaytesting.com