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Brexit, Trump and short-term leadership
Britain is facing the consequences of irresponsible leadership.
Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, is struggling to find support for a compromise approach to Brexit. Her goal is to accomplish the will of the people expressed through a referendum without completely destroying the British economy in the process.
Already, economists agree, the British economy has taken a serious hit. But that hit is based upon uncertainty as to what is going to happen. It is possible that Brexit won’t ultimately happen, or that there will be a “soft Brexit,” where Britain remains closely associated with the E.U. The real fear is a “hard Brexit,” what the radicals want, that will completely split Britain off from the E.U. If that happens, the economic pain will become much worse, and that is just what Theresa May is trying to avoid.
The irony is that none of this mess is Theresa May’s fault — she is just the one left to clean it up. I think many women will relate to her position, having to clean up after the irresponsible actions of men. If there is anyone to blame, it is former PM David Cameron. Rather than arguing that the European Union was necessary for the long-term peace and prosperity of Britain and the rest of Europe, he played a dangerous game. He tried to finesse the issue by supporting a…