There is a madness to politics right now in North America, the UK and some parts of Western Europe. Trump ratchets up the racist rhetoric and hatred in the US. And it increasingly seems as if the lunatics haven’t just taken over one asylum, but are on the brink of securing tenure in multiple institutions and setting up a chain. Indeed, that’s the stated intention of far-right activists. Steve Bannon, for instance, has spent a great deal of time on his European operation and clearly hoped for a more decisive impact across the EU in the Parliamentary elections in May. Although things may not be moving at the speed some right-wingers hope for, the elevation of Boris Johnson next week – barring an extremely unexpected twist in the Tory leadership contest – sets the UK careering towards a no-deal Brexit and a lurch to the right. A new Westminster election may be on the cards and it will be the most unpredictable in modern history. Anything could potentially happen if half the
Phil Woodford co-hosts Colourful Radio's weekly news review show from London. He previously stood on two occasions as a Labour Parliamentary candidate.