We arrived in the UK a month before Brexit, too late to absorb the arguments and thus justified in not voting in the Referendum, a right Britain extended to all locally resident Commonwealth citizens. Which was a blessing. Because exploring any middle ground soon disappeared, with the way one voted on Brexit as defining for Brits as for pro- or anti-Trump Americans.
Ending Britain’s 45 year marriage to the European Union was never going to be easy. But yesterday it appeared to turn even messier when UK prime minister Theresa May “deferred” a Parliamentary doomed vote scheduled for this afternoon. Mr Market panicked at the news, sending Sterling to its lowest point in 18 months.
A seriously smart friend whose livelihood requires him to properly understand momentous events like these, told me long ago to focus my attention elsewhere. Because, he explained, with big political events settlement is rarely reached before the 11th hour. Trying to follow deviations along the road to this destination, he added, will simply drive you to distraction.
Before her vote deferment, the British PM spent the weekend in talks with the EU’s top bureaucrats and her German and Irish counterparts. Conveniently, the EU is holding an all-hands meeting this week. Which means all the power brokers, including Mrs May, appreciate the state of play. That 11th hour settlement is very much on. Even if Mr Market doesn’t agree.
