There are just two weeks left in a leadership contest that has been going on since sometime in the early Mesozoic period

Given the various crises besetting the UK, the seemingly inevitable passing of power from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss calls to mind that old political saying: out of the frying pan, into the heat death of the universe. The progression between the previous three prime ministers has shown us the timeline can always get worse. The country is basically trapped in that scene in Toy Story 3 where the toys escape the shredder only to find themselves heading towards the incinerator. Unfortunately, the grabber claw is not going to save us.

You may keep hearing Truss supporters say: “You underestimate Liz at your peril.” But the UK is already in grave peril, so … I’ll take that bet. Presumably I’ll be permitted to collect on it in a couple of years, if not in cash, then certainly in some form of subsistence bartering in District 11 of the sunlit uplands.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

What Just Happened?! by Marina Hyde (Guardian Faber, £18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at the Guardian Bookshop. Delivery charges may apply

Marina Hyde will be in conversation with Richard Osman at a Guardian Live event in London on 11 October. Join them in person or via the livestream – book tickets via the Guardian Live website

Continue reading…

You May Also Like

Influencers and freebies: Big Tobacco’s push to sell nicotine pouches in UK

Health experts raise concerns over marketing for flavoured oral sachets that can…

Esther Rantzen: ‘I’ve become one of the funny old ladies I used to talk to in the street’

As she eases into her 80s, the That’s Life! presenter is slowing…