It used to be that the political order in Britain was pretty unshakeable. A crisis did not necessarily mean the end of a government nor the demise of a prime minister. There was a kind of continuity between governments, even if they had distinct policy differences.

That seems to have changed with Brexit. That sharp and somewhat bewildering break with normality ushered in political instability, for though the Labour opposition was already hamstrung by an unelectable leader (one can like Corbyn but still doubt his fitness for Number 10), it was the Conservatives who appeared to lose their minds.

Sure, the unravelling of thousands and thousands of  EU laws and obligations was bound to cause many troubles, as it still is, but the ineptitude, buffoonery and double-thinking that has characterised Tory public discussion and legislative action has been astonishing. When the people who claim to be the establishment drop the ball, or pretend the ball is somewhere else in another game, or on another playing field, well, all bets seem to be off.

The revolving door of Prime Ministers that once plagued Australia appears to have become a part of British political architecture. And that is not a good thing.