Britain’s political trauma is acute but its symptoms are not unique. Around the world the foundations of liberal societies are being shaken. Economic inequalities have become unsustainable. There is a backlash against social reform and representative democracy is under assault. Authoritarian regimes are on the march and liberal capitalism is in retreat.
Britain’s tragedy is that Brexit reflects these trends – and then supercharges them. Famed for pragmatic reform, creative solutions and global engagement, the country seems trapped between a past we cannot reclaim and a future we cannot imagine. The government is too divided to lead and the opposition too fearful to oppose.
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