This reminded me once again of just how in the centre of all this the prime minister has been. A remainer trying to deliver leave (sincerely I believe). Hardened Brexiteers to one side. Hardened Remainers to the other. An equally idealistic and intransigent EU across the waters. Not many people can say they've taken a middle ground view such as she has.
Like I've said on here before. Despite being a full-on Brexiteer I'd have signed up to her deal had I been in parliament. Obviously that has passed now and we're moving into a different phase, but I fear some may live to regret not backing it. I hope that's not the case and we sail forward to get a good and sensible Brexit deal. Or leave with "no deal" but in a nice orderly fashion.
I remember when the May Deal was first unveiled. Brexiteers like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage came out condemning it. Likewise Tony Blair came out condemning it. In fact, he seemed quite agitated about it. I remember thinking "if Blair hates this deal we must be leaving". That might be faulty reasoning, but it definitely said something about where we were at the time and what the deal meant to both sides.
We were never going to get a full leave overnight. So I always viewed "officially leaving" as more a symbolic sword in the ground. Marking against future incursions into our sovereignty, and giving us a baseline to start clawing back the powers we've lost.
Of course, that's just my opinion and it may be that many of the popular Brexiteers like Farage & co. simply have a better handle on things than I do. I'm certainly quite far removed from the action. So I'm happy to be wrong, especially if we do get out.
We are over three years in and still not out though as it stands (if that makes sense), and May would've took us out had her deal been passed. So I don't think that anyone can say she failed to offer a way out. She delivered a version of leave, albeit a soft leave, which parliament refused to ratify.
(Theresa May, arty style)
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