STRAIGHT TALK
MARK BARNES: In election season there are always a lot of winners, but common purpose gets lost
‘We would be better off focusing on our future and the mandates to take us there’
It feels like it’s election season all over the world, the choice split between those politicians people want to have and those they have to have. Angela Merkel in Germany has just, sort of, won what is clearly a twilight term. Youngsters and populists are emerging all over the place and in Catalonia’s quest for independence, who knows whether the laws or enthusiasm will prevail. Theresa May didn’t have to call for an election in Britain. It wasn’t due and her party was already in power. Why would anyone do such a silly thing? In search of endorsement and an overwhelming mandate in the complicated Brexit issue. Brexit was a populist win but now it has to be implemented. To get difficult things done, you need everyone on the same side. The election had quite the opposite effect – it weakened the unity of the ruling party and even further divided the consensus on acceptable deal terms. It was a mistake and May will pay for it. Further east, there has been a lot of winning, most notabl...
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