Theresa May, the UK's heroine3 reading minutes

News Mondays - Clément Guntern

Europe, 2017. Brexit began as a failed gamble Prime Minister David Cameron's failed gamble. With the referendum, he hoped to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the European Union. Union. With 51.9% of the vote, the British people decided to jump ship. The defeated Prime Minister resigns, believing himself to be a poor captain for the British ship, which is already sailing towards its new destination. Theresa May is appointed leader of the Conservative Party, then Prime Minister by the by the Queen. The lady was a virtual unknown at home, regarded by the media media as a bland, unremarkable personality.

A rather strange campaign takes her to the top of her party her party, then her country, as if by fate. It has to be said she was pushed to take the reins of the party. Besides, the other members members of the Tories are quite happy not to have to lead the nation at a in such troubled times. Theresa May is vigorously leading her government reshuffle. government reshuffle.

A time of disappointment

Initially, May was convinced that a positive outcome of the negotiations is possible while going along with the majority of the voters: «Brexit means Brexit». But the European stumbling block turned out to be much bigger than expected. Brussels' reaction is a surprise in the UK. The EU has shown itself to be strong and united. At on the other side of the Channel, the British political and administrative system system suffers from a great lack of preparation.

The setbacks are piling up for Theresa May, especially after the general election, which was supposed to strengthen parliamentary support for her, turned into a trap for her. She is not support as hoped, but instead finds herself forced to ally herself with a turbulent Northern Irish party. What's more, the thorns are multiplying for a weakened Prime Minister: the Northern Ireland question is becoming more and impossible to resolve.

Parliament's irresponsibility

Once an agreement had been signed with European negotiators, the House of Commons repeatedly rejected the Prime Minister's proposed by the Prime Minister, as well as a host of other solutions. Even approaching the date of the precipice, the fronts are not evolving in the way expected by Mrs May.

Faced with so many failures, the question arises: is she simply a bad leader, or is she a sadomasochist who enjoys who likes to get backhanded? The media and public opinion have her public awkwardness and lack of poise. ease. Shouldn't she be more of a heroine? Despite everything Theresa May has not shirked her responsibilities at a time when everyone - including when everyone - including David Cameron, the man largely responsible for the disaster - preferred to be spectators of the Brexit. preferred to be spectators of the Brexit.

An exemplary figure?

She may not have been the most skilful in negotiations in negotiations and in the parliamentary game, but she takes shock after shock shock, undaunted by the challenge of finding a solution for her country. For she is a courageous political leader, who has always said she'd rather would rather «do her job» than «have a drink in the Westminster pub». In a sense, she has accepted to pay for years of hypocrisy in British politics hypocrisy on the European question: you can't put all the blame on the EU the blame on the EU and make people believe that the UK must remain in the the union.

Mrs. May is undeniably a figure of courage and reason in a kingdom more disunited than ever, and in a parliament that doesn't know what it wants, closer to a nursery than to the supreme power of a country. History is bound to accuse her of all the wrongs, but everyone will have to agree that she has been stronger and more responsible than many people in the UK.

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Write to the author: clement.guntern@leregardlibre.com