Theresa May yesterday emerged from a trench, her leadership rivals splattered all over the battlefield: a free walk to leadership of the United Kingdom, having done and said very little for the last few months.
Perhaps this is the ultimate strategy for political success these days. Save yourself the risk of taking a firm, principled stance on the defining issues of our lifetimes. Loom quietly instead in the shadows, waiting for those who do take such a ‘risk’ to destroy one another. Then mop up. It’s a tactical masterstroke, some are saying: a virtuoso display of political clout and statesmanship in action.
To these sentiments, only the words of our first female Prime Minister will do: No. No. No.
No, for all of Theresa May’s talents, she made an important, definitive choice: she chose tactical quiet over principled noise when push came to shove during the EU referendum campaign. Politicians must be principled beasts. We don’t pay politicians to tactically perch on the fence for their own ends. If they are to demand our full respect and trust, they must campaign with passion, rigour and candour for the big causes of our age.
But then maybe this is too harsh. Her close allies would argue that Theresa was doing what Theresa does best: quietly getting on with the job, cutting out the bluster and bravado.
Whatever your interpretation, to the delight of some and to the dismay of others, Theresa May will become Prime Minister on Wednesday 13th July 2016. She has claimed she has what it takes to heal a fractured Conservative Party. She has claimed she has the message to unify a divided United Kingdom. And she has declared that “Brexit means Brexit”. We should give her the benefit of the doubt, but millions of democrats should hold her to that.
Info Angle. 