The voices of doom, gloom and apocalypse are being sounded in the media over the uncertain start to the Brexit negotiations with Barnier looking forbidding and Davis/Fox spouting their usual clap-happy platitudes. But it’s early days with much game-playing going on. No doubt it’ll come down to the wire after screaming fits, tantrums and flouncing exits along the way from both sides.
The UK Mr Brexit spearheading the UK 90-strong negotiating team and Theresa May’s principal Europe adviser is civil servant Olly Robbins, 20 April 1975. He has been keen to play down ‘the political noise in Westminster’ and suggests only he and the prime minister should be listened to, thereby rather cutting David Davis out of the equation.
Robbins does look set back on his heels at the moment, jammed in and in an undiplomatic temper until mid October with tr Saturn and tr Pluto hitting on several of his Mars midpoints. He looks in marginally better spirits from December onwards, though under massive pressure. 2018 sees tr Uranus conjunct his Aries Sun and opposition his Uranus, so it’ll be an eventful year for him, with considerable changes. He’s got an over heavy workload, working on the PM’s staff and also running a large government department of nearly 500.
There’s certainly no love lost between himself and politician David Davis, supposedly the lead UK negotiator, with a composite Mars opposition Saturn square Neptune; and a dogmatic Mercury opposition Pluto in their relationship chart – and they don’t get much more hostile than that. Theresa May also actively dislikes David Davis with a brutal power-laying composite Mars opposition Pluto square Sun Mercury in their relationship chart, plus other knots and glitches.
Robbins also appears to have sidelined the UK Ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, 15 Feb 1964, who was shoehorned in at speed after his predecessor left having said he thought the Brexit negotiations wouldn’t be manageable. Barrow has a tough Saturn Sun Mars in Aquarius, all of which are being opposed by this August’s Leo eclipse so he’s going to be rocking on his pedestal. His relationship with Olly Robbins looks under increasing and separating pressure this year (with much the same aspects as the Trump/Sessions chart). And Barrow is at cross purposes to Davis and teeth-gritted about Theresa May.
So it’s not only the politicians/Cabinet who are involved in a pub brawl with each other; the civil service, no doubt, in a much more understated way are seriously at odds. Though if T May goes, which isn’t beyond the bounds of possibility, there’ll be another round of musical chairs.
It’s a real hornets’ nest and a nervous breakdown scenario.
Well there must be light somewhere at the end of this birth/death tunnel! Most scenarios of doom last about seven years so I doubt I’ll get to see the end of it. But with jupiterian optimism, I know it will sort out eventually. saturn and Pluto are at the nadir of the UK chart just now but everything moves on and rises upwards.
Loretta, this makes me sad. I hope Jupiter rewards your optimism with time.