Brexit requires new breed of leadership

Neither addressed the issue of whether or not, in this divorce, the UK would lose the children.

The EU referendum has not only divided some families, it has divided a family of nations.Wales, though often a beneficiary of EU funding, opted to Leave. Scotland voted clearly for Remain, as did Northern Ireland, which has the only UK land border with another EU country.

Almost immediately, the leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, pledged to set in motion a legal framework for a second Scottish independence vote. Shortly thereafter, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuiness, called for a poll on establishing a united Ireland.

With all this happening on his/her flank, the next Prime Minister must trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, officially setting in motion a disengagement from the EU. Two years of relative uncertainty will follow.

This will require leadership marked by a statesman-like sense of calm, along with the ability to project proactive forward-thinking and bold innovation.

During this time, lawyers will argue over the terms of the EU divorce. In a sometimes febrile atmosphere, the UK will need to negotiate with its erstwhile EU companions a new type of trade arrangement.

David Cameron has been, for the most part, a principled leader. On some issues he pivoted a little more toward liberalism than some within his party and the electorate would have liked. However, he has been upfront about his plans and has tried to explain his motivations.

Until now, he has been seen as a very lucky Prime Minister. He pulled a win out of the hat in the closely fought Scottish Independence referendum of 2014. Then, less than a year later, he guided the Tories to their first outright general election since, I think,1992.

One wonders now, though, whether he will be seen more as the great gambler than the great statesman.

He is a gifted politician, without doubt, and an honourable man. The question history must answer in time, though, is whether he had developed too much of a taste for risk. Perhaps in the end he pushed his luck once too often.

Now, some might ask whether Nick Clegg’s first-term boast about having kept the Tories from their own worst excesses wasn’t without merit.

Mr Cameron promised the EU referendum in his last election manifesto largely for political reasons, some of them quite understandable. In order to win a general election outright, Cameron needed to neutralise the UKippers on his right.