Above all else, the Tory election campaign was guilty of presenting Brexit as something vaguely embarrassing, a problem to be solved, an accident that needs attending to, something akin to a flashing amber light allowing us to proceed only if everyone is happy with the terms and conditions.
It could and should have been presented to the electorate as a thrilling opportunity for the country to be master of its own destiny, for parliament to reassert its sovereign authority by severing legal ties with the EU. It should have been presented as a giving a green light for UK commercial enterprises to go out and trade with the wider world. It should have been presented as a giant leap forward.
In politics, when the amber light is flashing, you have to know when to stop and when to go.
Let’s hope Theresa May strikes a more positive note during the Brexit negotiations.
