A 'strong' leader wobbles

The UK went to the polls on the 8 June 2017. Prime Minister Theresa May called the snap election in the hope of securing a large majority prior to commencing Brexit negotiations. The electorate returned a hung parliament.

In the wake of Theresa May's performance at the polls, my 'Talking Point' in The Times of Malta (10.VI.2017) takes a look at her failed gamble and her 'strong and stable' brand:

"The 'strong and stable' brand was upstaged by her weak and feeble persona. The slogan became comically ironic. She seemed comical and hapless: her predictable clichés delivered in a sing-song voice, her slightly stooped posture, her clenched jaw and her awful grimaces. The ridiculous shoes just added to the comic effect....

Machiavelli rightly predicted that, in the end, hubris brings all governments down. May’s decision to call an early election was partly motivated by this excessive self-confidence. She failed. In the pantheon of Conservative leaders, she has a place with the party failures – a worthy successor to Chamberlain, Eden and Heath. Life on the backbenches should be the logical outcome. Britain deserves better."

The full article may be read here.