The husband of a friend of mine was a Special Forces soldier.   He feared nothing; well, almost nothing. One thing frightened him stupid: the day when he was asked to go out into the jungle and dispose of a rogue elephant he was shaking like a jelly.  I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t fancy it either.

Sir John Major is an old man, mild mannered, considerate, and some might think, weak. But last night he went out alone, into the jungle and faced his rogue elephant: Kemal-Johnson’s government.   You can see what happened here: Major at Middle Temple. and for those who wish to do their homework, the text can be found here: Text

There is one iron rule for those who set out after a rogue: shoot to kill. If you do not kill them, they will certainly come for you.  And it is no surprise that moments after Sir John’s speech politicians of the right were venting their spleen.  It may be that he will have to leave the party to which he dedicated his career.  I doubt whether that would cost him dear because, as he made abundantly clear, the government of Kemal-Johnson does not represent the Conservative party of old, but a right-wing clique determined to clear all obstacles from its path.

Much of what Sir John said bears repeating – his comments on the “Internal Markets” bill – defeated last night by a thumping majority in the House of Lords, were coruscating.  But let me set out here a few of his words (punctuation is my own) that were as penetrating as any:

• Brexit was sold to the nation as a win-win situation. It is not.
• We were promised we would stay in the Single Market. We have not.
• We were told trade with the EU would be frictionless. It will not be.
• We were promised we would save billions in payments to the European Union: a bus was driven around the country telling us so. Not so: Brexit is costing billions – not saving them.
• We were told that our “liberated country” could cut back on bureaucracy and regulations. We now know they will increase – and dramatically.
• We were promised we would strike lucrative trade deals with America, India, China and others in quick time. Japan apart – we have not.

Perhaps his most chilling, words were these: “And, to add tragedy to farce, it was the people who were misled who will now lose out.”  That is a reference to those who voted for Brexit out of despair: the old, and the poor.  They will pay the price.

Across the Pond, America has, with courage and determination, set about starting to free itself from its corrupt, cruel, bullying rogue.  There is no mechanism in the UK to rein-in a government that is out of control – at least I have identified none – so we have four more years to wait.  The damage that can be done in that time is unimaginable and much of it will be irreversible.

It gives me no pleasure to say I warned you.