THE TRAGEDY OF THERESA.
The tragedy of Theresa
May - in five acts
Theresa May has been in power for a year CREDIT:
JUSTIN SUTCLIFFE
By James Kirkup
8 JULY 2017 • 7:00AM
he Roman poet Horace said a play
should not be shorter or longer than
five acts. The German scholar Gustav
Freytag defined those acts for the modern
age. As Theresa May is poised to mark her
first year as Prime Minister, most would
agree that it has been quite a remarkable 12
months - in five acts she has manged to
produce a true drama.
Act I: The Exposition
The protagonist is introduced
It is now hard to remember, yet vital to
recall, that Theresa May took the Tory
crown not by triumph but by default. Every
other claimant removed himself or herself
from contention: David Cameron quit after
failing over Europe. Boris Johnson quit after
failing to convince Michael Gove he was
serious about Brexit. Andrea Leadsom quit
after failing to realise that common decency
demands you don’t try to score political
points over the fact that someone doesn’t
have children .
So Mrs May, found herself playing
May - in five acts
Theresa May has been in power for a year CREDIT:
JUSTIN SUTCLIFFE
By James Kirkup
8 JULY 2017 • 7:00AM
he Roman poet Horace said a play
should not be shorter or longer than
five acts. The German scholar Gustav
Freytag defined those acts for the modern
age. As Theresa May is poised to mark her
first year as Prime Minister, most would
agree that it has been quite a remarkable 12
months - in five acts she has manged to
produce a true drama.
Act I: The Exposition
The protagonist is introduced
It is now hard to remember, yet vital to
recall, that Theresa May took the Tory
crown not by triumph but by default. Every
other claimant removed himself or herself
from contention: David Cameron quit after
failing over Europe. Boris Johnson quit after
failing to convince Michael Gove he was
serious about Brexit. Andrea Leadsom quit
after failing to realise that common decency
demands you don’t try to score political
points over the fact that someone doesn’t
have children .
So Mrs May, found herself playing
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