Proof that Brexit Politics exactly mirrors Game of Thrones' plot & alliances

It occurred to me this week, watching the UK's chaos, that British politics in the age of Brexit almost directly mirrors Game of Thrones. Eerily, the 9 major houses exactly match the 9 major parties in the British Parliament, both thematically and in terms of their alliances. To some extent that could be expected given so much of the books is based on British history, but the match between the houses and the parties is particularly precise in our current Brexit era. Here's the proof:

- The Lannisters are the Conservatives. Both are currently led by a tin-earred woman, who is in office but barely in power over her island nation. Both also rose to their position as leader due to a patriarch (Tywin; Cameron) getting his just deserts as a consequence of a plot they orchestrated that backfired on them. The Lannisters are, like the Tories, known for being rich and posh.

- The Starks are the Labour Party. Both have their power in the North. Both are ruled by dour, idealistic and bearded men, who were previously bastard children of what they now lead (Jon Snow; Corbyn).

- The Martells are the Liberal Democrats. The Martells sigil colour is orange, like the Lib Dems. Both share a progress, liberal philosophy. And just as the Martells married into the Lannisters, only to have Elia Martell killed by the Lannisters, the Lib Dems married the Conservatives from 2010-15 in a coalition Government, only to find themselves killed at the ballot box for doing so.

- The Tyrells are the Green Party. Both are led by a pretty non-nonsense matriarch (Olena Tyrell; Caroline Lucas), both have the sigil colour green, and remember the Tyrell's sigil is a plant!

- The Greyjoys are the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland. Both the Greyjoys and the DUP occupy wet islands off the west coast of the mainland Westeros/ Britain. Both are made up of grey, joyless people. And both have entered into an expedient alliance with the Lannisters/ Conservatives late in the game (of thrones/ of Brexit), in both cases being the lifeline to keep in power the Lannisters/ Conservatives.

- The Arryns are Plaid Cymru (i.e. the Welsh nationalist party). The Arryns, like the Welsh, are from a land of mountains and vales.

- The Tullys are the Scottish National Party (SNP). It is worth noting that the Tullys are famous, like the Scots, for being 'red of hair'.

- The Baratheons are the new cross-party Independent Group/ Tiggers/ Change Party. Like the Baratheons, the Tiggers inevitably have within them various claims to the leadership of that new party. And like the Baratheons, they inspire but will probably be felled by their internal divisions.

- Daenerys Targaryen is the EU. Both are foreigners from the nearby continent; both are unwelcome but (technically) currently legitimate rulers of Westeros/ Britain. Like Daenerys Targaryen, the EU has three 'dragons' that bring the UK to heel: the European Parliament; the Council of the European Union; and the European Commission. Much as Daenerys benefits from Westeros being divided against itself, the EU benefits from the UK parliamentary parties being divided agains themselves, as it makes it more likely the UK won't leave the EU.

- The Whitewalkers are a No Deal Brexit. Much as the whitewalkers will come for everyone - Stark, Lannister and Targaryen alike - if they can't put aside their differences and work together to see off the threat of the long winter the White Walkers bring, a No Deal Brexit will come for everyone - Conservative, Labour and the EU alike - if they can't all work together to come up with a deal which is a compromise between all parties. And much as the Whitewalkers are only held back by a magical wall, the only evident option to foreclose on a no deal Brexit outcome is for the Irish Backstop to be put in place.

- The Wildlings are UKIP. The Wildlings call themselves the 'free folk', and UKIP want the UK to be free from the yoke of Europe. The Wildlings share the same territory as the Whitewalkers, and UKIP occupy the same political territory as 'no dealers'. Also, just as the Wildlings have no place among the Great Houses of Westeros, UKIP have no seats in Parliament.

So there we have it. Game of Thrones is an eerie match for British parliamentary politics in the context of Brexit, inclusive of the key alliances involved. While the parties play politics to see who ends up on the Iron Throne in Downing Street, No Deal is coming for all of them, and the future viability not just of the key parties - Conservatives and Labour - but also the trust in Britain's parliamentary democracy itself. The White Walkers are coming... and in a final parallel, some might argue there were a lot of very white walkers who descended on the Capital this past week. Perhaps, in this, art may mirror life once the final season of Game of Thrones is released...2 days after Brexit is now supposed to happen on 12 April.

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