From Suez to Brexit and back again
There's an excellent article by Philip Stephens in the weekend FT, discussing Brexit in the wider context of the UK's post war history. Unfortunately it's behind the paywall, but this couple of paragraphs gives the sense of his argument. Obvious concerns like immigration, left-behind regional issues and so on were clearly factors, but:"The Brexit decision, though, was part of a broader tapestry, woven through the post-war decades as Britain struggled to find an identity after the loss of empire. In demanding the nation 'take back control,' Brexit reached into an idealised past. At its heart was an English exceptionalism that defied the facts of the nation's geography and its waning economic power.Britain had won the war, the story began. The rest of Europe might feel impelled to pool national sovereignty, but the UK could look to a wider world. Anthony Eden's disastrous Suez expedition and the Brexit decision 60 years later were bookends in this search for a role - the first, the empire's last trumpet, the second a refusal even after four decades of EU membership to accept a more modest role."I think that sums Brexit up pretty well, but the rest of the article is well worth tracking down if you can.
Richard Carter ● 9d16 Comments ● 47m