At times of stress the public at large, whether they vote or not, look to politicians for leadership. Especially from the government. The opposition is often split because the party out of power can indulge itself, the more so now that the possibility of being caught by a snap election is made remote, with the move to five year parliaments. Governments are not supposed to split, but if they do, prime ministers are in turn expected to rid the cabinet of rebels.
But now things are different. The Tory party has been split over Europe since the prime of Thatcher. It crashed out under Major the split was so bad, and it has never healed. Cameron thought up the idea of an official referendum (of which the renegotiations are window dressing) in the belief it would unite the party for the general election. The ruse worked but in a peculiar fashion. It was a unity which was glued by the knowledge that it could split again later. Later is now.
Most commentators and historians agree that the vote to remain or leave is of historic importance. It is therefore unfortunate that the only way which the Tory party, which is in majority government, can hold together is to campaign for both yes and no. That is like a civil war in which one army under one commander fights on both sides. When the fight is over the wounds will run deep. Meanwhile the voting public looking for leadership, will find none and will have to choose between the prejudice of one side over the hopes of another. The opposition shows more unity on the issue of Europe, which it supports, than on most other issues, but even here there are some who want to leave.
Unfortunately that is not all. Corbyn struggles to lead a parliamentary party which did not want him, yet he is backed by the largest membership of any political party in the UK, who do. Over the holiday period and just after, Labour made the news with a blizzard of resignations of shadow ministers of whom nobody outside Westminster had ever heard, none of whom a few days later, after the light of publicity is switched off, can be recalled to mind.
So when the referendum is over, assuming that the country does not lose its mind and vote to leave, action to restore order will be called for. Far from welcoming back those ministers who campaigned for no, the prime minister should fire them all. At the same time Corbyn should not only fire New Labour die-hards from his shadow cabinet, but he should also withdraw the whip from them. Whatever may be the froth and fury of the hour, both leaders will have a firm base from which to build, Farage will have some useful scraps to harvest and Osborne will have some potential recruits from the old Thatcherite wing of the busted flush still calling itself New Labour.
Of course if the country votes to leave it is chaos for everybody.