Labour change tack on Brexit; Game changer?

THE defining characteristic of Britain’s response to the narrow 52/48 vote to leave the European Union has been uncertainty layered with confusion, conflict amplified by delusion. Despite that, preparing for a new world, an EU without Britain seems obligatory.

The conflict — described by one commentator as Britain’s looming civil war — deepened yesterday when the British Labour party announced a dramatic policy shift by backing continued membership of the EU single market beyond March 2019, when Britain is scheduled to quit the EU. This drew a line in the sand, establishing a clear distance from the Conservative party on Brexit for the first time. There are many implications. One must be that Labour, if this move gets widespread support, might promise a second EU vote during the next general election campaign.

Not so long ago this might have been dismissed as wishful thinking but now, as the unattractive reality of Brexit hits home for Britain — and for Ireland — all of a sudden there is a tiny light at the end of the tunnel