A brutal New York Times column has exposed the view from across the pond of Brexit Britain – and it isn’t a particularly complementary one.
Commenting on the downfall of Boris Johnson, Richard Seymour says the PM’s era may be over, but the “turmoil has only just begun” as the two challengers vying to replace him offer “nothing better”.
After Brexit fervour propelled Johnson to Number 10, the fantasy that has undercored his ascent has been slowly falling apart.
“Economically stagnant, socially fragmented and politically adrift, the country is being cut down to size. The right’s Brexit fantasy — of a revitalized Britain, freed from the shackles of Europe and able once again to confidently assert itself at home and abroad — is finished,” Seymour writes.
Having survived numerous scandals, it was Johnson’s inability to govern that finally brought him down.
The queues of cars outside petrol stations, rising energy prices, airport chaos and a backlog of around six million patients in hospitals.
Scotland now sees a clear track to independence, while the Northern Ireland government has been siezed by republicans in a move that could lead to a united Ireland.
In Seymour’s words, “the exit of Mr. Johnson, Brexit’s most charmed cheerleader, marks the demise of that fantasy. In its place, unmistakable and unstinting, comes crisis.”
Related: Riding a wave of misery: BP profits hit 14-year high
