The lady is for turning, like a worm

When Theresa May became prime minister in what was effectively acclamation by Tory MPs, following the implosion of Andrea Leadsom's campaign and her withdrawal after making the final two, those in the liberal left who said she was not as impressive as the image she conveyed, I felt were just whingers, sickened that a competent Conservative prime minister had sewn up electoral dominance until 2030.  Now, I'm beginning to understand that thier years of close observance of her at the top of British politics might have been accurate.
The meaningless tautology 'Brexit means Brexit' trotted out every day as a mantra should have been a clue.  She makes one-time presidential wannable Marco 'Marcobot' Rubio look like Winston Churchill.  It now appears as a comfort blanket, a way to claim a mandate without one from the country or even her own party membership.  One Tory insider described Leadsom chaotically withdrawing from the race to be prime minister as the whole country 'dodging a bullet' and that hypothetical situation may remain the case, but it meant that May and her convictions were never tested in the heat of battle, even if it was with the crazies from the shires.  Unlike Thatcher who had time to modulate her style (and voice) in opposition, May has been thrust in the deep end without a chance to change her wooden delivery.
It is her capture by special interests though that is most disgusting.  The 'pause' on Hinkley Point with its ruinous post-completion energy tariffs was followed by a rapid 'unpausing' when Beijing made clear its displeasure as the UK showing its independence ('take back control?  Ha!).  The only hope now for the British taxpayer is that the whole project is never completed and the £2bn downpayment (more than all the annual cost of benefit paynent fraud) will have to be written off as a mistake by David Cameron and George Osborne.
Then there was the decision to go ahead with Heathrow but have a ludicrous delay of a year before it went to a parliamentary vote, all because Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith (who still resigned forcing a by-election) didn't like it.  Goldmsith will probably win his by-election as an independent as the Tories aren't fielding a candidate in the hope that he might return to the fold and the Labour Party are too pig-headedly doctrinaire (of which more later) to let the Liberal Democrats have a clear run at ousting the son of the Referendum Party founder, the late Sir James Goldsmith.
Now, following the High Court ruling that parliament must vote on Article 50 and the pro-Brexit newspaper hysterical backlash ("Enemies of the people", "The judges versus the people", etc.), not only has Liz Truss, the new Lord Chancellor, declined to criticise the press for trying to undermine the rule of law, May has gone further in defending them, her Robespierre to their Marat.  The jackbooted editors do not need defending and May comes across as the simpering schoolgirl who is in awe of the power posing of schoolyard bullies.  Had she told them that such rhetoric in attacking individual judges and their backgrounds was unacceptable, to who else would they have switched their support?  Labour?  Never, especially under Corbyn.  The Lib Dems?  Ha ha.  A UKIP in the process of meltdown and whose survival is uncertain?  This is why she underlined that parliament must vote for Article 50 (pretty much conceding that the Government's appeal to the ruling will fail), calling it 'an instruction from the British people', when the referendum was, legally, only advisory.  The legitimacy of tyrants can be incredibly fragile, needing rubber-stamping legislatures.
May is so weak.  It's why she bottling forcing an early election through calling for a vote of confidence in her government (fixed term parliaments stop a prime minister calling one of their choosing automatically).  The Conservative Party are storming ahead in the polls but that's because (1) the majority of people have yet to see beyond the facade of 'competence' that May pretended she had and (2) Labour have disappeared up their own doctrinaire backsides under Jeremy Corbyn and Co, completely abandoing the centre ground.  Yet Corbyn regularly bests her at Prime Minister's Question when Cameron used to run rings round him.  It was said that David Cameron was the Conservative party's best asset and that would still be in true had he not resigned and removed himself utterly from politics.  For all his flaws including U-turns and lack of strategic thinking, he is proving to have been a far more capable PM than May (or indeed anyone else at the top of the Tory party) could ever be.  In current US politics, the electorate are in despair at the choice before them - is there simply no-one better?  The UK is already in that post-US election state and we have to deal with a leader who had already failed before she got the job.