THERESA MAY WOULD BE CRAZY NOT TO PLAY UP THE THATCHER ANALOGIES.

foolish to admit you were trying to imitate an inimitable leader, as it would be to not capitalize on the comparisons if you could. The Iron Lady, although far from universally loved, was widely admired for showing great spine in critical moments, such as the Falklands War and standoffs with trade unions. Having come to power at another time of national crisis, May surely recognizes the importance of projecting strength as she begins the unprecedented task of negotiating Britain’s exit from the European Union. She would be the last person to downplay projections of her firmness, however loosely founded such impressions might be.

This practice of piggybacking on giants of the past is hardly unique to U.K. politics. Canadians have had a steady dose of this in recent years, as the media and Liberal party have done their part to sell an image of a British Prime Minister Theresa May