Lewis was not the Northern Ireland secretary. He wasn't even the previous holder of the office - he was the one before that.
Likewise, when Rishi Sunak was eventually selected, at least one distinguished British commentator proclaimed him the first person of Asian heritage to become prime minister of a European country. Actually, he had been preceded by Leo Varadkar, who became taoiseach in Dublin five years ago, while Portugal's António Costa can claim to be the first.
These are minor slips, and all the easier to forgive when political events are following the vertiginous logic of a fever dream. But they do serve as a reminder that the so-called border down the Irish Sea is not just a trade barrier. There is also a haze of psychological detachment - keeping track of who's in office in Dublin and Belfast is not, for most people in England, all that important.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 04, 2022-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 04, 2022-Ausgabe von The Guardian Weekly.
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