Brexit Redux

Scott Hardie | June 9, 2017
Today's news.

I don't follow this super-closely, so let me see if I understand the chain of events correctly here:

1) Prime minister David Cameron thinks the UK is soundly pro-EU, but there are a few niggling voices of opposition as he prepares to launch new pro-EU initiatives, so to quell any doubt and build momentum for his plans, he calls for a public vote that will put the matter to rest.

2) Unexpectedly, the "leave" side turns out to have a ton of support and triumphs on Election Day by a significant margin. The people want a Brexit! Cameron is humiliated.

3) Cameron resigns after making this huge mistake. Theresa May is elected to replace him. She immediately begins planning Brexit.

4) As May prepares to launch anti-EU initiatives, she wants to put any doubt to rest and announces a public vote on the matter to demonstrate support for her plans.

5) Unexpectedly, the "stay" side turns out to have a ton of support and triumphs on Election Day by a significant margin. The people do not want a Brexit! May is humiliated.

The only part of the cycle left is for May to resign, but she says she won't do it. It's like she so completely failed to learn from Cameron before her that she's even missing out on the one part of this whole sorry mess that he did right.

Is Britain really this messed up right now?

Scott Hardie | June 9, 2017
I just don't get how May did not learn from Cameron's mistake, when it's that very mistake that led to her being in office in the first place. It would be like Bill Clinton saying in 1993, "Listen to me: There will be no new taxes," and then raising taxes. It's one thing not to pay attention to your predecessors' mistakes from generations ago; it's another thing to ignore them from last year.