The decision by the British Supreme Court to reject the appeal by Prime Minister Theresa May to set aside the ruling that requires the Brexit vote to gain its approval from a vote in Parliament has set the British Government on its heels.

We can recall that May was planning to invoke Article 50 and begin the discussions to dissolve relations with the European Union in March.

Her claim is that the anti-Brexit parliamentarians wanted to use the court’s decision to circumvent the will of the people, as expressed in the referendum. There is further talk that she may call for a snap General Election in hope of rearranging parliamentary support for Brexit. The current Parliament could put an end to the notion of Brexit.

It may be a gamble to determine whether a new election result will follow the same pattern or even the mandate of the referendum. Notwithstanding getting a mandate may be an imperative for Parliament, which is split over the issue. The clock is ticking and Parliament must debate the Brexit item from scratch, then vote on it. This impasse sends two signals to the world markets: is the leaving the EU an inevitable reality for Britain, or was it just a take-note exercise on public opinion.

In somewhat similar fashion, the uncertainty in Bermuda Government’s ability to pass important legislation affects the economic momentum of the country. During a television panel discussion before the election of 2012, I said that one of my concerns would be the ability of the One Bermuda Alliance to govern with such a heavy slate of fairly high-profile former United Bermuda Party candidates. It was not so much the presence of UBP candidates, but it was the absence of more change agents and persons a little closer to the ground.

Certainly, I am not firing shots at “old politics”, but the UBP came to the end of its era by 1998. Many refused to believe it, but it did.

Truthfully, so too had the Progressive Labour Party. It is just that the OBA is the Government and the basic incompatibility is showing. The same happened with the PLP; that is why 30 per cent of its support base stayed home in the last election. The issue has always been about being able to relate to the core hurts and also the dreams of a diverse populace.

Although Britain is thousands of miles from us, whichever direction their Parliament turns regarding Brexit does affect us directly. A mandate in the UK will sort out where we are as far as our own status with Europe. I don’t know but perhaps a fresh mandate in Bermuda will set the tone and direction of the country for the next five years — one way or another. It appears that only a faction within the OBA are leading and in charge, while a contingent are tentative. We do not know what the factionalism within the PLP will end like.

Bloggers are not parliamentarians and are no true indicator of leadership.

Whatever the resolve, we need a government whose feet we can hold to the fire. There must be civility between the public and their elected representatives. The relationship between the electorate and leadership is not a shotgun marriage; respect is a necessary principle for a sustained democracy to work.

When governing becomes untenable, we need to fix it. Governing is not a privilege and, under a parliamentarian system, is not even a fixed mandate for a guaranteed time. Nor is there any real dignity in using the force of police to maintain an orderly governance. We need civility and a truly representative and responsible government — and we can’t fake it.