Brexit Metaphor No 54
If Brexit were a game of football, the weak British team of 11 would be facing a stronger EU-27 team of 27 players. All EU footballers are on the field: forward, back and reserve. However, not all in the British team are playing hard (some are playing Soft Brexit) - it very much depends on their party and party wing.
Of the 11 UK footballers, 5 are Conservative, 4 are Labour, 1 is a Liberal Democrat and 1 is UKIP. Theresa May is the goalkeeper of the British team and does her best to defend the goal, but her 4 Conservative players have a split allegiance: 2 are playing together with her while the other 2 are trying to vote her out of the game (most recently on the evening of December 13). The 4 Labour players are usually sitting on the fence or, occasionally, kicking the ball in the long grass. The Liberal Democrat is helping the EU team score in the hope that both teams will soon be re-united. While the UKIP player keeps getting replaced, so he hasn't touched the ball yet. Occasionally the Scottish support group in the audience call on the referee (the European Court of Justice / ECJ) to intervene and he usually rules in their favour.
The British team is not so much a team as a menagerie - a diverse collection of wild animals held in captivity for exhibition. One specimen has straw on his head, while another one seems to have been continuously exhibited since the 18th century - hence he is known as "the honourable member for the 18th century."
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| Football positions (Source: Wikipedia) |
Notes:
1. Timeline: This article is part of a daily #BrexitMetaphors series, with 107 more Brexit Metaphors to follow until Brexit day, March 29, 2019.
2. Disclosure: The author has a master's degree in European Integration.
3. Invitation: If you'd like to contribute to the debate, you are welcome to leave a comment below.
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