Arrival

The long nightmare of Britain’s relations with the European Union, the greatest failing of British government since the American Revolution, is finally coming to a climax. The flamboyant former mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is almost certain to be the next leader of the British Conservative Party and prime minister. The crisis began when former prime minister David Cameron promised “full-on treaty change” and came back from Brussels with less than Neville Chamberlain brought back from Munich. He had promised a referendum offering his almost imperceptibly altered treaty or a complete break, Brexit it is called, certain that his countrymen could not possibly vote to leave Europe. If he had brought back May’s eventual proposal, voters would have approved it.

As it became clear that the referendum campaign was closer than had been anticipated, Cameron and his chancellor, George Osborne, and the governor of the Bank of England, Canadian Mark Carney, produced “Project Fear” — a shameful and ludicrous attempt to frighten the country into voting to remain in the EU with blood-curdling predictions of economic ruin in the event of Brexit. Cameron went the day after the narrow referendum defeat. May was the almost-certain successor, as home secretary, as Osborne went with Cameron, and the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, was new on the job. Johnson declined to run against May and instead accepted the Foreign Office as Hammond became chancellor. It is doubtful that May ever wanted to leave the EU.

[…]

See Also:

(1) Tell me again — why are we defending Germany?

(2) Brexit Party fury: Farage declares war on ‘fake polling’ after shock results

(3) No delay! Johnson refuses to postpone Brexit past October 31 – ‘Have to get act together’

(4) Brexiteers demand Boris builds eurosceptic ‘ring of steel’ Cabinet against Remainers

(5) Theresa May refuses to admit snap election was mistake but reveals one major regret