Nt intîrli s’prîzñli, ppl sd ɖe wr wurid n scerd. Sm tōct abt grounup ćildṛn sudnli teṛfaid ɖt a morgij z bynd ɖer rīć; uɖrz dscrîbd a ny n unseṭlñ habit v yzñ spẹrñ amǎnts v gas n ilectriṣti. Ɖ ōtm’z incrisñli ōfl mūdḿzic – fṛm tōc v cansld locl Crisṃs marcits t ɖ posbiḷti v ʈri-aur pǎrcuts – informd jst abt evri convseśn I hd.

Mnśn v poḷtics drù sm vri inṭrestñ rsponsz indd. “I jst mis Boris,” sd Jūli, hu wrcs at ɖ sitisntr branć v Būts, n tld m ś hd loñ sins got yst t convseśnz wɖ hr custmrz abt ɖ imposbiḷti v ɖer livñcosts. Az ś n a fy uɖr ppl sw it, Jonsn hd s’xesḟli manijd ɖ Covid vax̣neśnprogram, n bròt sm pizaz n hymr t ɖ borñ wrld v poḷtics, ẃć hd nǎ rvrtd t tîp. Ɖe olso vôst smʈñ I hv hŕd a fy tîmz lêtli: a b’lif ɖt h hd reprizntd ɖ last hop v Brexit smhǎ oṗnñ ɖ we t a hapịr n mor prospṛs cuntri, a drīm ɖt daid ẃn h left Dǎnñ Strīt.

Clirli, ɖt z a vri jenṛs opińn v a man hu tld jst az mni slf-srvñ lîz abt līvñ ɖ YY az h dd abt most uɖr ʈñz. At ɖ hart v sm linġrñ fondnis fr him, phps, z a lot v ppl’z rfyzl t admit hǎ mć ɖe wr dypt. Bt ɖt vy v lîf bfr n aftr Jonsn hîlîts smʈñ ɖt z nǎ seṭlñ amñ ol bt ɖ most hardnd Brexit s’portrz: a qayt, slîtli torćrd rịlîześn ɖt ol ɖoz opṭmistic viźnz v lîf ǎtsd ɖ YY r nt gwñ t mtirịlîz, īvn f ɖ crîsīz trigrd bî Vḷdīmir Pūtin ivnć̣li sbsîd.

Britiś ppl biyñ Britiś ppl, ɖs z nt yt a matr v eni wîdspred angr. Ɖo ɖe probbli òt t, nwn z abt t ćarj intu ɖ strīts n dmand eni cnd v Brexit rec̣nñ. Bt f y wont t unḍstand ɖ cuṛnt p’liticl momnt – n sm v ɖ rīznz ẃ ɖ Cnsrṿtivz hv so sudnli n spectaklrli implodd – hir z a strenjli oṿlct part v ɖ stori.

Huevr ppl blem fr ǎr cuṛnt pridic̣mnt, wn vivid fact z iniscepbl. Ɖ fyćr ɖt 17 miłn votrz bòt intu six yirz ago hz nǎ c’lapst intu its prisîs oṗzit. In ɖ sumr v 2016, let s nt fget, Jonsn, Mîcl Gove n ɖ formr Lebr MP Jsela Stywt jôntli pt ɖer nemz t an articl in ɖ Sún ẃć insistd ɖt wns Brexit hapnd, “ɖ NHS wl b strongr, clașîzz smōlr n taxz lowr. W’l hv mor muni t spend on ǎr prîoṛtiz, wejz wl b hayr n fylbilz wl b lowr.”

A yir lêtr, Jecb Rīs-Mog – hu stl sīmz t b trayñ t snif ǎt undiscuvrd “Brexit oṗtyṇtiz” – aśurd enwn hu wd lisn ɖt līvñ ɖ YY wd opn ɖ we t mć ćīpr fūd, n ɖrfr incris ppl’z dspoẓbl incm. Brexit z nt ɖ onli ʈñ ɖt hz rvild ɖ imposbiḷti v ɖoz drīmz, bt ɖt z nt qt ɖ pônt: mcñ proṃsz lîc ɖt wz bʈ stypid n denjṛs, n w r nǎ startñ t liv wɖ ɖ consiqnsz.

Fr Liz Trus n hr guvnmnt, post-Brexit poḷtics z pruvñ t b imposbl. Ɖe wont lîf ǎtsd ɖ YY t mīn Darwińn īc̣nomics, public-spendñ cuts n a smōlr welférstet – ẃć z nt ẃt miłnz v līv s’portrz ʈt ɖe wr votñ fr in ɖ 2016 reḟrendm, nr ẃt ɖ Tōriz ofrd in ɖ tū ilex́nz ɖt foloud. Mnẃl, trayñ t rigl ǎt v Brexit’s endlis cnstrents in psyt v groʈ ʈretnz t tî ɖ guvnmnt in nóts. Suela Breṿmn, a homsecṛtri hu imbodiz ol v modn Cnsrṿtizm’z nastinis n intṛvrśn, sz ś wonts t cut net mîgreśn t “tnz v ʈǎzndz”. Bt Dǎnñ Strīt hz bn sigṇlñ ɖt it wonts t libṛlîz ɖ YC’z iṃgreśnsistm, a muv ɖt wd defiṇtli snd a srtn cnd v Brexit votr intu paṛxizmz v fyri. Evrʈñ z a mes bcz ɖ lojic v Trus n hr alîz’ pziśn canot hold: az ɖ Brexit reṿluśn ɖt uptrnd Cnsrṿtiv poḷtics n bròt ɖm t pǎr unravlz, ɖ rīzn fr ɖer s’xes z olso a gaṛnti v ɖer fełr.

Gvn its loñstandñ rfyzl t qsćn ǎr xit fṛm ɖ YY, Cir Starmr’z Lebr parti fesz sm cmpaṛbl contṛdix́nz, bt sīmz t b tnttivli trayñ t fînd a we ʈru. Wn v ɖ most faṣnetñ momnts v ɖ past tū wīcs v p’liticl ʈiytr hapnd jrñ Starmr’z confṛnșpīć in Liṿpul, ẃn Starmr acć̣li mnśnd ɖ B wrd, n tnttivli tōct abt ẃt Brexit’s c’laṃtiz mīn fr ppl’z vy v poḷtics. Mni hu votd fr Brexit, h sd, dd so bcz ɖe wontd “deṃcratic cntrol ovr ɖer livz … oṗtyṇtiz fr ɖ nxt jeṇreśn, cḿṇtiz ɖe flt prǎd v, public srṿsz ɖe cd rlî on”. Ɖs wz a slîtli rouz-tintd rīdñ v rīsnt hisṭri, bt it jst abt rañ tru. H add: “Ẃɖr y votd līv or rmen, y’v bn let dǎn.” Hiz clem ɖt h wl smhǎ mc Brexit wrc stl sǎndz dīpli qsćṇbl, bt ɖs z a start: an acnolijmnt, at līst, v ɖ lîz n siṇsizm ɖt got s hir.

Ẃɖr mǎntñ dis’pôntmnt n rzntmnt wl simpli mīn a nīt swić fṛm ɖ Tōriz t Lebr z anɖr matr. Ɖ untruɖz Toni Bler tld abt ɖ Irac wor ivnć̣li pleid ɖer part in ɖ hyj crîsis v public trust ɖt léd on t Brexit, n ɖ endlis p’liticl flux ɖt foloud it. Nǎ, 2016’z dsits r biyñ rvild in an īvn mor toxic p’liticl invîrnmnt, awoś wɖ cnspiṛsiʈiyri n poḷrîześn. Enwn hu asymz ɖt a mūd v siṇsizm, fir n daśt hops wl pt poḷtics ɖ c’rect we p òt t mbi ʈnc abt rīsnt ivnts in Iṭli, Swīdn n Frans – n, closr t hom, ɖt instnt nstalja fr ɖ reclis, oʈoṛterịn stîl v līdrśp ɖt Jonsn cmbînd wɖ hiz mor śǒbiz aspects. Wns Trus z ǎt v ɖ we, ɖ ultiṃt Brexit paṛdox me yt mtirịlîz: a hrific būst fr ɖ vri cnd v poḷtics its fełr òt t hv cild ston ded.