I had hoped post Brexit that the UK would become a boring, reliable friend of freedom and democracy (“Do you find everyone else boring? You’ve only yourself to blame”, Focus). I had hoped that we would do boring things such as feed and house the entire population. Potholes would be fixed, public transport less expensive and unreliable houses insulated.
Alas, the quest for shareholder value and bone-headed populism has instead produced a constant flow of unlearned lessons from our state institutions and an almost comical lack of self-awareness in the international arena. Ukraine, in her agony to achieve freedom from autocracy, has transformed a comedian into a statesman and leader and maintained a unity of purpose and nationhood. In contrast, the UK has become divided – between rich and poor, town and country, young and old and between the smaller nations of the union and England.
