Trump and May: the danger of party loyalty

In Britain and the US there are currently two leaders taking their respective countries down a dangerous road. In Britain, Theresa May is pursuing a reckless policy of hard Brexit at any cost in order to appease the hard-right elements of her party and the general public. In the US, well it's hard to keep up with the latest terrible thing that Trump has done, but it's likely somehow related to top secret information, Russia, or both.

It is important to look beyond these big public figures, however, and see the structures that are keeping them in place and allowing them to push ahead. Their parties and the MPs/Members of Congress, the Conservatives in the UK and the Republicans in the US, will constantly go out to defend them, no matter how obviously it contradicts with positions they are supposed to hold. Not only in the parties in general, but the moderate wings of each of these parties are particularly guilty.

When faced with a leader who pushes policies that are far beyond what a supposed 'moderate' could ever support, whether it's the Muslim Ban or a willingness to accept and even defend a no-deal Brexit, the moderates are abandoning their principles and sticking by their party and leader. 

In many cases this hypocrisy is even a matter of public record. While they will chastise individual actions or policies on Twitter, when it comes to votes, to real decisions that decide people's lives, party loyalty always comes first. Anna Soubry in the UK, John McCain in the US. Representatives who clearly belong to the moderate centre-right and who publicly denounce the hard-right policies being pursued by their leaders and parties, always end up returning to the easy comfort of their party line when their loyalty is tested. 

Though very publicly pro-EU, Soubry voted in favour of nearly all the
measures allowing for May's hard Brexit project

There are armies that would value the loyalty that the right has managed to drill into its representatives (and even supporters, as few Trump or Conservative voters look to be moving away from their chosen homes). It's a contrast to the ease with which infighting can be provoked on the left and the way that many on the left would put their individual principles above party loyalty, even if that impacted on their chances of winning. Because in the end isn't that what this must be about? What is party loyalty for if not to improve their chances of winning votes by presenting a united front?

As the UK's and US's national interests suffer and as the two countries deteriorate under this leadership, we would do well to remember the narrow, selfish interests that drove 'moderates' to support it to the bitter end.