MANY moons ago, well before the political cock-ups really took hold, I had occasion to write to The Northern Echo expressing a view that Great Britain would become a European-wide laughing stock (prophetic indeed).

I was seeing well before the Prime Minister’s self-inflicted injury that there existed a movement determined to destabilise her, along with the club aimed at her head.

Theresa May sought (I would have thought quite fairly) to counter this underbelly, by asking people (who had expressed democratic views through the referendum) to resoundingly spell out to political spoilers their support for strong national negotiation and for her support, in pursuit of their interests, through leadership.

The future is not bright in terms of a sovereign nation.

It is in fact a bright red faced one – regardless of any party political afflictions.

Ours a politically astute nation? I think not!

C S Simons, Bishop Auckland