Like children squabbling over the possession of toys, the members of the House of Commons at Westminster, once seen as the cradle of democracy, have descended into indignant and unyielding conflict, each faction clinging to its favorite cause and refusing to give up.
Before them they have a sensible compromise arrangement, painstakingly crafted and agreed among all members of the European Union, to manage Britain's exit from the union with the least disruption, and even some gains for all sides, allowing progress to further steps along the way in good neighborly relations in the very different future that lies ahead.
But eyes have long since been taken off these wider prospects and turned inward to a cacophony of arguments and plans by numerous different factions that attack all compromises and insist that their own pet solution is best. Parliament, claim the factions, has now "taken control," as the compromise withdrawal agreement espoused by Prime Minister Theresa May and her government is denounced and her attempts at meeting the cascade of criticism from every side are derided.