Jeremy Corbyn's topsy-turvy culture war

What started as a battle for Britain's soul between metropolitan liberals and conservatives seems to have left both sides exhausted and impotent and instead emboldened hardline socialists

Jeremy Corbyn.
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

While the British government negotiates the greatest divorce settlement since Henry VIII took a fancy to young Anne Boleyn, the country seems paralyzed with indecision over its future.

Now that it is happening, should Britain go for a "soft" or "hard" Brexit? The former entails remaining in the single market, like Norway, and so having tariff-free access to a block that represents 46 percent of U.K. exports; the latter means going it alone on the world stage and trying to get free trade deals in time for 2019. Economic common sense only points in one direction, but the price of that is continuing free movement within the EU — and the Vote Leave campaign last year won thanks largely to immigration.

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Ed West

Ed West is a journalist and author in London who writes regularly for the Spectator. He would like to plug two history books he has out this summer aimed at young adults.