My entirely speculative theory is that the whole sordid mess is explained by the failure of Frost’s negotiating strategy.

The ‘they’ll give in if we stick to our guns’ plan hasn’t worked, and, the NI protocol means no deal is not political cost free.

The master stroke (I suspect a Frost / Cummings plan) is to repudiate parts of the WA to increase negotiating leverage (pay attention to us!) and reduce the cost of no deal.

But unfortunately...

It has done the opposite, by:
1. Reducing EU patience / goodwill (increasing the cost of no deal)
2. Raising serious domestic concerns re the government’s fitness and squandering political capital
3. Torpedoing relations w/ large sections of the US political establishment

Not to mention casting a more general pall over the UK’s reputation for good judgment and probity, thereby reducing not just goodwill but the value of investment in UK assets (I refer you to the £).

It’s sort of remarkable that the proponents of this terrible strategy aren’t resigning left right and centre.

But anyway, now is the time to assert some analytical comparability between Brexit and Covid disasters. It’s noteworthy that the similar penchant for really bad implementation isn’t more remarked upon.

I propose the Fiasco Index.

It seems only fitting that the A level fiasco is the base measurement (equating to 1 Fiasco) for the Fiasco Index.

Hence:

Breaking International Law = 1.5 Fiascos

(A bigger fiasco than the A level fiasco because both a domestic and international fiasco)

Test and Trace = 2 Fiascos

(No international dimension but both existential and visible from space)

Whatever next?