With its nostalgically-painted, golden-maned horses, wistful French chanson music wafting as it turns, the Carrousel de St Pierre, by the venerated Sacre Coeur Church, is a firm favourite amongst tourists to Paris. But recently, as I watched the merry-go-round rotate to those romantic French tunes, more than anything else, it reminded me of Brexit.
It’s 10 years since the UK voted to leave the European Union. Almost immediately, from an EU perspective, the UK collapsed inwards, embarking on what would be years of political crisis as the country splintered, fought and went round and round in circles – not unlike the painted carousel.
And now, here we are again.
Seven UK prime ministers in this post Brexit-vote decade – after Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday. And the fraught – seemingly circular – EU debate: to what extent the UK should edge closer to Brussels economically – is very much back on the UK domestic political agenda, launched by Starmer’s Labour government.
Shocked a decade ago at the apparent social and political implosion following Britain’s vote to leave (the UK parliament had traditionally been regarded as the European Union’s most stable and venerated), EU partners say they’ve since got used to the roller-coaster that is modern-day UK politics.
Frankly, if you look at big EU players France and Germany, their domestic political scene is hardly what you’d describe as a sea of calm either.
But doesn’t UK political volatility impede the new negotiations with the EU, launched by Starmer, in a declared attempt to tear down post Brexit red tape and boost Britain’s ailing economy?
Brussels assumes these talks will continue under his successor, though it said on Monday it was reviewing whether to go ahead with a summit planned with the Starmer government for late July.
