A crisis of confidence at the heart of the country´s institutions allows predators to circle in preparation for rich pickingsThe government´s decision to send a second Royal Navy warship to the Gulf will intensify concerns that Britain is unintentionally sliding into armed conflict with Iran. The deployment of HMS Duncan, a Type 45 destroyer, will be seen in Tehran as a gratuitous escalation of an already tense regional situation. It may help improve security for the 15 or more British-owned oil tankers that traverse the Gulf each day - or it may worsen it. The move potentially turns the warships and the tankers into targets, should Donald Trump impetuously decide to start a war.Once again, Britain is being dragged along by international events, lacking an independent, well-considered policy, compromising its principles, and at the mercy of more powerful antagonists. This sense of drift, of a rudderless ship of state bobbing haplessly in hostile waters, is pervasive and alarming. To say it is the product of temporary uncertainty, caused by a change of prime minister, is to underestimate the problem. In this respect, Boris Johnson is both symbol and symptom of a deeper malaise.Reports seep out that government departments are unprepared for Brexit, civil servants are overwhelmed, no-deal chaos awaits Continue reading...
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