A NOVEL suggestion to solve the current problem of who’s actually in charge of Britain has been raised by the Canadian newspaper the Toronto Star.
Harking back to the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the Star suggests that Scotland’s uncrowned leader Nicola Sturgeon could well be the person to sort out the mess caused by the Brexit vote.
Pointing out that David Cameron has “fallen on his sword” and that Boris Johnson is a non-starter, the newspaper’s editorial claims that “Labour loyalists fear their party is on the fast track to oblivion.”
The Star is in no doubt about who should fill the political vacuum: “England’s politicians have clearly made a hash of things. Which leads us to a modest proposal, firmly grounded in history, to restore a measure of sanity and stability to Britain’s political life.
“The only British politician who has so far weathered the crisis with her reputation enhanced is not English at all. It’s Nicola Sturgeon.
“While all about her were losing their heads, Sturgeon kept hers. She stepped confidently forth to make Scotland’s case for staying in the EU and for having another crack at a referendum on independence.
“Clearly, this is a leader to be reckoned with, one with the grit and clear head needed in a shambles like the one the English have created. Why not find a way to put her in charge of righting the British ship and steering a path through the Euro mess?”
The Star does point out that there’s the “little matter” of Sturgeon being a dedicated Scottish nationalist who doesn’t actually believe in the U.K. as currently constituted, but with a fine appreciation of past events, they point to a precedent.
“In fact, a Scot has come forward before to save the English from political chaos of their own making,” they write.
“When Queen Elizabeth I, last of the Tudor monarchs, died in 1603, she left no children and no obvious heir. Given the intrigue and bloody political infighting of the previous few decades, many English feared their kingdom would be torn apart by rival claimants to the throne.
“In stepped King James VI of Scotland, a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth who had the great merit of being someone the various English factions could agree on.
“He was crowned King James I of England and Ireland, uniting the thrones of the three kingdoms in his own person. He kept peace in the British Isles for the next 22 years.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. And for Britain, these are politically desperate days. They could do worse than look north.”
The National has been assured that the Toronto Star is deadly serious, but we have also been told that while she appreciates the compliment, First Minister Sturgeon already has a country to run.
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