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Politics Brexit EU European Union

How Brexit got metaphorical

Has any other recent political process generated so many strange comparisons? Asks Christopher Grey

By Christopher Grey  
October 19, 2018

A Brexit cliff edge?

Perhaps because Brexit is such an unprecedented event, it has spawned an ever-growing array of metaphors to try to make sense of it. But metaphors are rarely innocent, and the different images that Remainers and Leavers invoke are one part of the ongoing divisions and debates around Brexit.

Often the metaphors are sporting, and when deployed by Leavers serve to demonstrate the immutability of the referendum result—with Brexit likened to a football score or losing the toss at cricket. Remainers respond that drug cheats…

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Christopher Grey

Christopher Grey is Emeritus Professor of Organisation Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. He writes a popular Brexit blog accessible via his @chrisgreybrexit Twitter feed, and is editor of the series “What do we know and what should we do about…? (SAGE Publishing)

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