Splits between hedgehogs and foxes are the reason for stalled Brexit talks
Last week’s EU summit on Brexit attracted a lot of attention for little real news. To understand why the talks are so stalled, it helps to borrow a somewhat strained metaphor from Brexit secretary Dominic Raab. When Raab, then new to the job, met the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, for the first time three months ago, he gave him a copy of Isaiah Berlin’s much-appropriated essay The Hedgehog and the Fox. In it, the philosopher quotes the Greek poet Archilochus saying “the fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one big thing”. Raab wasn’t being subtle. A leave supporter during the Brexit referendum, he had likened the rule-driven EU to a hedgehog next to Britain’s fox. But the distinction is far more useful for understanding the divisions in the UK that make it so difficult to predict whether or how prime minister Theresa May will get a divorce deal through parliament. Those splits are the main reason the only news out of Brussels last week was the offer of an extended p...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.