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The Brexit perfect storm or the triple crisis facing the UK.
The first is a cultural crisis symbolized over Brexit. This is not just a deep policy divide, evident for decades, but a fundamental choice about British identity. People are being towards Europe or America, with longstanding bonds to both.
The second is a constitutional crisis: the unwritten norms about the primacy of parliament are being torn up, even if legal nicities are observed. The weaknesses of our unwritten conventions are revealed under pressure.
The third is a deep legitimacy crisis dividing those favoring populist binding referenda from those favoring parliamentary sovereignty w consultative referenda. Both sides claim, with outrage, to be more ‘democratic’.
Without agreement about the legitimate rules of the game, the cultural and constitutional crises cannot be resolved. The triple crisis generates a perfect storm. Net result: deep (lasting?) damage to British democracy.
The aftermath of Brexit still remains to unfold. When the Brexit civil wars are long over, and historians assess the battlefield, what damage will we have been done to Westminster? Our culture of trust and tolerance? And Britain’s standing in the world?
At Harvard I have studied and taught about how democracies rise & fall for almost three decades now. Believe me when I observe that backsliding is fairly easy, as Trump shows all too well. By contrast, restoring democratic cultures and institions is extremely hard.
