Britain’s Brexit Breakdown
With both hardline Brexiteers and diehard Remainers having rejected the only available deal for the United Kingdom to exit the European Union, the pragmatic center is being squeezed out of British politics. As each side ups the ante, Brexit is now an all-or-nothing fight to the death among absolutists.
LONDON – British democracy was once widely seen as a model for others to follow. But it has now sunk into its deepest crisis in living memory. At stake is not only whether the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union without an exit deal, but also how far a country once famed for stability and moderation descends into political civil war.