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We’reheadingforthebiggestcrisissinceSuezMatthewParrisItishorriblyapparentthat,fourmonthsafterthereferendum,theBrexiteershavenoideawherethey’releadingussinabaddream,Ihavethesensationoffalling.WeBritishareonourwaytomakingthebiggestscrew-upsinceSuezand,somewheredeepdown,thenewgoverningclassknowit.Weareheadingfornationalhumiliation,nobody’sincharge,andnobodyknowswhattodo.ThisBrexitthingisoutofcontrol.Itwasreallyonlythisweekthatthescalesfellfrommyeyes.Perhapsitwasjusttheaccretionofsmallobservations,mountingintheunconsciousminduntiltheheapbrokethesurface:butanascentworrybecameaconscioushorror.Formethehorrordawnedafteralongdiscussioninagroupwhofollowpoliticsclosely.Readingtherunes,weweretryingtoworkout—andonlyinbroadoutline—whattheplanforBrexitmightbe.Scenarioswereconjured,possiblegame-plansstress-tested.Buteveryguess,followedthrough,ledfastintothenettles.Asthedialmovedtowardsthe“soft”endofthespectrumofpossibilitieswerepeatedlyfacedthetigerthattheLeavecampsofoolishlyandcynicallyrode:immigration.WhyeverwouldourEUpartnersofferus,post-Brexit,whattheywouldnotofferDavidCameronbefore?AndwhatmakesanyonethinkthatinthenewantagonismsgeneratedacrosstheChannelbyourreferendumresult,the“soft”BrexitthatweformerRemainerscravewillanywaystillbeonoffer?Andasthedialmovedtowardsthe“hard”endofthespectrum,themassiveeconomicuncertaintiesattachedtothego-it-alonesolutioncamecrowdingin.NoneofusknewhowrealisticthefearsofaserioushittoBritain’seconomymightprove:butwedidknowthatformanyintheLeavecamp,andfortheChancelloroftheExchequer,thosefearswerereal.Thenwethoughtaboutparliament.Butwhenyoudo,thepathoflegislativescrutinycrumblesbeneathyourfeet.BeforeshetriggersArticle50nextMarch(andthereforebeforenegotiationsAevenbegin)TheresaMayisadamantshecannotshowparliamentherhand,andonedoesseeherpoint—eventhoughJohnMajordidriskaCommonsdebatebeforehewenttoMaastricht.ButafterArticle50istriggeredandtheLisbontreaty’sejectorbuttonhasbeenpushed,reversingtheprocessispracticallyimpossible.AfterMarch,parliamentcansayitdoesn’tliketheBrexitplanthatemerges,itcanamendtheGreatRepealBillbyattachingconditions,itcaneventhrowthebillout;butstillwemustleavetheEUwithintwoyears—andonnotermsatallifparliamentrejectsthegovernment’sterms.Besides,adarkerpossibilityoccurs:thattherealreasonMrsMaydoesn’twanttoconsultparliamentonherplansisthatshedoesn’thaveany.Bayonetthewoundedallyoulike,Leavers,butthenationwaitstohearyourplansItwaswidelyfeltthatthereferendumwouldbeacrystallinemomentofnationaldecision.Weweretostayononeroadortaketheother.Yetnearlyfourmonthslaterwefindourselvesstillatthecrossroads,arguingaboutwhywedecidedtotaketheroadlesstravelled—andwhereitshouldlead.Thereferendum’ssenseofpurposehasevaporatedandwecanseewhatalwayslaybeneath:competingvisionsforBritain,eachunabletocommandamajoritybyitself.TheywerepooledinthewordLeave,andittookthemasfarasJune23.Butnofurther.ThedifferencesnowwithintheBrexitcampareatleastassharpasbetweenthemandsomeoftheformerRemainers.SomeoftheveteranandmoststalwartcampaignersagainsttheEU—DanielHannanMEP;columnistssuchasChristopherBooker,AndrewLilicoandIainMartin—areprominentamongthosegrowingqueasyaboutwhereBrexitcouldlead.AndfromMrs.Mayherself?Silence.AllowmetoswitchthegenderinmytakeonBennyHill’sparodyofafaux-heroicEdwardianpoem:Theysaiditcouldn’tbedone;Theysaidshecouldneverdoit.Soshetookthatjobthatcouldn’tbedone—Andshecouldn’tdoit.Severalofusemergedfromthatdiscussionamongpunditsthisweek,eachwithourownperspective,butallwiththesameresponse.Wewerelookingataveryseriousimpendingroadaccident.“Whatthe****?”weweresayingtoeachother.Thescales,asIsay,fellfrommyeyes.Formyfriend,TimescolleagueandLeavecampaigner,MichaelGove,tospendeveryparagraph—yes,everyparagraph—ofhiscolumnyesterdayrailingagainstthesidethatlosttheEuropeanreferendumcampaignattestsmoreeloquentlytosuppressedpanicthananythingwethevanquishedcouldwrite.EdvardMunch’sTheScreamhoveredoverhiswords.TheFreudianscallitdisplacementactivity,andittellsussomuch.Toourintensedisquietwefindthevictors,hollow-cheeked,stillstalkingthebattlefield,kickingirritablyatcorpses,monthsaftertheirwarwaswon.Bayonetthewoundedallyoulike,Leavers,butthenationwaitstohearyourplans.Youhavethebaton.Whereareyougoingtorun?BlamingTheGuardian,blamingTheTimes,blamingfatBritishbusinessmen,blaminggolf,Marmite,JapanesecarbossesandthegovernoroftheBankofEngland,lashingoutatthe“doom-mongers”and“naysayers”,the“internationalbankers”whowould“talkourcountrydown”,asthoughthestrongfundamentalsof“theworld’sfifth-largesteconomy”thatyoupromisedwouldpoweruseasilythrougharenowcandlesinthewind,snuffablebyahandfulofweedynewspapercolumnists...blamingeveryoneandeverythingbutyourownlackofanagreedplan,isfutile.Yes,weRemainerslostthereferendum.Yes,wemessedupthecampaign.Yes,wefailedtounderstandpublicdiscontent.Yes,weconcedethatyouarenowthepilots.Theinitiativeisyours.Weawaityourproposalsandweacceptyourright—even(asIhavewritten)yourduty—toproceedwiththem.Butwewanttoknowwhattheyare.Howdoyouplantomakethisthingwork?MichaelGovebeganhiscolumnwiththreeshortsentences:“Take.Back.Cont