Westminster is witnessing an outbreak of Torschlusspanik. The translation from German is “panic at the gate shutting”, commonly associated with age: the dread of missing opportunities that will never come again.
That might sound like a perverse anxiety to find around a new government basking in a glow of abundant potential. But this is also the moment when vague ambitions of opposition collide with hard choices. Informal networks are formalised, chains of command tighten. Unofficial relationships are mediated by officials. Gates close.
