The art of leaving: What the break-up of the British Empire can tell us about Brexit

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How to break up and stay friends




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The art of leaving




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Brexit and the lessons of empire








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The art of leaving






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India had Gandhi, Britain has Farage






India had Gandhi, Britain has Farage

IF THE current crop of Whitehall mandarins think they have their hands full negotiating an exit from the European Union, they should spare a thought for their predecessors. Britain’s withdrawal from its empire in the 1940s-60s required its civil service to negotiate exits from dozens of different territories, often in months. The arch-imperialist Winston Churchill called it a “scuttle”.
Yet the winding up of empire for the most part achieved what many considered impossible: breaking up and staying friends. ...