Hard, soft or no Brexit, Britain must begin to heal its wounds | Martin Kettle

What happens next over Brexit is less important than rebuilding our shattered relationships with one another

Study the current parliamentary arithmetic on Brexit and it is very easy to persuade yourself that none of the options will be able to carry the House of Commons next month. There is no majority for Theresa May’s deal; no majority for a no-deal exit; no majority for a Norway-type option; no majority for a second referendum and no majority for a general election. Politically, there seems no way out.

These judgments are all true. But they are also all static. They take no account of the fluidity of events, of changes in circumstance and mood, or of shifts of alliance and interest. Above all, they take no account of the factor that former Canadian prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, who knew what he was talking about, said was the essential ingredient in politics – timing.

Timing is an important ingredient in the Brexit endgame in several ways. The first is that some of the facts may change

Related: Merkel threatens to pull plug on Brexit summit if deal not signed off in 24 hours

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