SHEINA KIYARA | Is Britain Europe’s Macbeth?

Is Britain Europe’s Macbeth? With a romanticised Brexit and eccentric characters on Downing Street, the stage is set for a Shakespeare-worthy storyline. 

Synopsis

A consuming ego and paradoxical self-doubt make the perfect drama. Britain could well be Europe’s Macbeth.

The stage is set in a once-mighty kingdom where the ghost of imperial glory haunts every corridor of power. Like Shakespeare's tragic hero, the UK stands at its own precipice — crowned with past triumphs yet plagued by destructive ambition. The players: a succession of prime ministers, each promising restoration of greatness, ultimately undone by the very powers they sought to master.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” — nowhere is this more evident than in the UK’s post-Brexit landscape, where victory has bred isolation, and strength has revealed weakness.

In the kingdom, there is growing restlessness among the public. A decade of hardship can do that to a country. Among the grievances are the exorbitant cost of living and inflation, hovering irritably at 5%. Stagnant efforts to reinvigorate, low productivity, and stingy investment leave the country in disarray. 

A divide exists between Brits with contrasting views: some clinging to tradition, with others fiercely advocating for change. The British government does little to unite the public. A crumbling monarch and scintillating drama festers into an existential crisis. Surely a comeback is on the horizon?

Chapter 1 — Histories 

“What's done cannot be undone” — Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1

The British Empire began (sometime) in the 16th century, an ascent that would mirror Macbeth's prophesied rise. Like Macbeth's initial victories, Britain's imperial conquests brought glory but sowed seeds of future torment. Each territory gained, like each of Macbeth's titles, added to the weight of a crown becoming increasingly difficult to bear.

The British Empire grew in the 18th and 19th centuries to encompass North America, India, and Africa. It peaked during the 1920s to become the most powerful empire in the world. The return of Hong Kong to China in 1996 marked the “official” end of British colonial rule. 

Today, British nationals still permanently occupy 10 (soon to be nine) overseas territories, which are home to about 270,000 people. Before the 2024 election, there was an intention to review the UK's stance on its “territories”, but as of October 2024, the UK parliament still maintains complete legislative control over them. All but one. In an unexpected twist, the UK government made a historic decision to reach a political accord with Mauritius over the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago. 

Bids for connection

In a style of diplomacy unbeknown to the Brits, bids for connection with the developing world are a way to find the sublime in the malign. However, controversial immigration laws, anti-immigration sentiment, anti-EU rhetoric, the Windrush scandal, and even the Meghan-Harry exposé have done little to help its cause.

Those who criticise a 2024 Britain argue that its value proposition is not persuasive enough and that 'Great' Britain is a snooze fest for investors. They’re not entirely wrong.

Britain needs new allies but can’t beat the narrative. It behaves like a villain, so the world vehemently rejects any victimhood it claims. Its failure to globalise and contain racism at home has iced it out of the emerging global order.

The UK after Brexit lacks maturity. Indeed, it never grew up. Out of touch with reality, it is trying to bond with a world it barely knows. Those who criticise a 2024 Britain argue that its value proposition is not persuasive enough and that “Great” Britain is a snooze fest for investors. They’re not entirely wrong. In the past, its economic clout was a powerful talking point. Today, hardly anyone is talking about Britain.

Chapter 2 — Tragedies

“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage” — Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

The sun had set on the British Empire, much as Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane. 

At its zenith, the British Empire struck out with unparalleled reach. By 1913, it had established an empire that spanned a quarter of the Earth's land mass and included a fifth of its population. It became the global trading capital, with 50% of global capital investment flowing through its veins. Its geographic position rendered it an unconquerable fortress, and its customs and protocol were glorified and emulated around the world. 

That image of Britain is long gone, and the curtain has fallen on a performance that once held the world in thrall. The UK peaked too early, exhausting itself by the end of World War 2. Winston Churchill’s successors struggled to rebrand Britain. In the interim, its Bretton Woods peer forged ahead. 

Power did not merely shift from the UK to the US — it was a changing of history’s guard. India’s independence in 1947 tolled like a funeral bell for British supremacy. The great actor had spoken its last lines and the understudy had taken the stage. The sun set on the British Empire. 

In 1975, Henry Kissinger said, “Britain is a tragedy”. In the aftermath of World War 2, it got stuck in a time warp, unable to carve out its postcolonial identity. For 100 years, the pound has steadily devalued but long before its breaking point, the foolish indulgences of a lonely nation destroyed any remaining charm it had.

From castle to circus

The 2008 financial crisis was a solidifier. By the UK’s 2010 election, it was to brace for another wind of change. The power shift from New Labour to the Tories caused further racket in the economy. After 14 years of sheer debauchery, the Conservatives butchered any hope left. Increasing migration, declining healthcare and student debt escalated drastically under the Tories. Economically, low productivity growth, austerity politics, and staggering increases in the cost of living were uncontainable and worsening year on year. 

Then came Brexit, Britain's “vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself” — a leap for sovereignty that, like Macbeth's grab for power, succeeded in action but failed in consequence. The point of the UK's association with the EU was straightforward. Just far away enough from continental Europe to be protected, yet close enough to enjoy the benefit of trade and politics. Brexit couldn’t have been delivered at a worse time. 

Brexit may be the convenient villain, but the UK has been a sob story for a long time — merely the latest act in a longer tragedy. The state of Britain's relationships with Europe and the Commonwealth and its waning influence mirrors its significance in the new global order. Today’s geopolitics have surpassed the Group of Seven (G7). In fact, the UK's role in the G7, the UN, and perhaps even the G20, is debatable. 

In other affairs, many helped shape this narrative. Britain’s leadership has turned the castle into a circus, even the royal family are antagonists in their own story.

Chapter 3 — Comedies?

“The night is long that never finds the day” — Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3

Prime Minister Keir Starmer inherits not just an office but a stage. Unlike Macbeth's tale, however, Britain's story need not end in tragedy. There’s life in the old dog yet.

Britain's comedy of errors is historically important and a lesson in geostrategy. It is unfortunate that a previously ostentatious foreign policy enjoyed such a brief existence. Attempting its version of “Britain First” while trying to atone for centuries of meddlesome behaviour is not a foreign policy. Now, the time has come for British leadership to swap their clown hats for thinking caps. 

The arrival of Starmer is a welcome change and the last hope after a long period of political drama. But in his first 100 days of office, he has been a bore. A “we’ll have our cake and eat it too” strategy for the public, the UK’s neighbours, and the world at large won’t do — especially during Trump 2.0. While his decision to support Brexit might strengthen his hand in US negotiations, Starmer will have to get creative and entice with other means. But what? To expand its hard power influence, the UK can use defence diplomacy and continue its trajectory of unwavering support of Ukraine, in turn cosying up to Europe.

But the UK will also need to re-establish its soft power strategy. The paranoia it exhibits towards the world is a prime example of “Macbeth” politics and must be rethought. Ironically, a grand strategy for contemporary Britain requires some comedic relief to counter its uptightness. There are a few options here: restoring social fabric, investment in education, building cultural capital and a coherent strategic vision.

Austerity and paralysis caused by Brexit have weakened the social fabric of the UK.

Austerity and paralysis caused by Brexit have weakened the social fabric of the UK. According to the State of our Social Fabric Report, “the UK has suffered a long-term and broad-based decline in the networks and institutions that make up the social fabric of communities”. 

A 2023 publication by the UK government revealed that 147 school buildings in the UK were at risk of collapse — stages crumbling before the performance can begin. Skimping on investment in education is a missed opportunity to maximise the UK’s value as a global education hub and its potential to convert brain power into manpower. In her first budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed to increasing public investment to boost the economy's long-term growth potential. For this investment to have its full impact, public spending must focus on restoring dignity to the people. Currently, government borrowing is at an all-time high, and the anticipated economic relief has been overshadowed by the need to address the imbalance between inflation and public wages.

Politics is the art of ontology, and incubating a stable society is a precursor to success. Misery has a ripple effect on economic growth — a tragedy playing out in slow motion. Before modern Britain, there was undisputed irresistibility. It was a cultural capital of the world, a melting pot of diversity, a popular travel destination, and an ideal place to live, brimming with opportunities in business, education and pop culture. The myth of British greatness began with uncertain fortunes and the promise of everlasting importance, not unlike Macbeth's prophesied crown. For the UK to reclaim its appeal, it must embrace a new identity as the gold standard of progress. 

It will also have to rebuild its bridge to the world as a cultural hub and take advantage of its status as a hotspot for youth diaspora — new players for Britain's next act. Its enviable diversity is underappreciated for its ability to translate into business with an edge. According to the India in the UK report, there are 654 companies owned or led by the Indian diaspora, with a total annual turnover of at least £36.84bn, and contributing around 174,000 jobs. The African diaspora also plays a fundamental role in helping build the UK since the 16th century. This cultural capital reveals a gateway to strengthen ties with the global south.

There are resources aplenty for the UK to refill its coffers. Strategic investment in the energy sector is the lowest-hanging fruit and will affect the total number of jobs that can be created in green industries. The RGU Energy Transition Institute forecasts 104,000 jobs in UK renewables by 2030 if the “conditions are right”. Starmer’s unveiling of the Labour government’s Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy in October 2024 is a good effort: a mission to become the fastest-growing economy in the G7. The plan is a combination of pragmatism and eclecticism and, according to Greg Clark, “shows serious ambition and deserves cross-party support”. 

It’s not all doom and gloom. The 1.7% CPI growth over the past 12 months is the lowest year-on-year rate since April 2021 and falls below the Bank of England's inflation target during the same period. In real terms, average weekly earnings have been steadily increasing. Britain's success today relies on factors that extend beyond its relationship with the EU.

In March 2021, Boris Johnson published the Integrated Review, which presents a clear plan to leverage a “Global Britain” to shape the international order. Winston Churchill observed in 1936 that the English often choose the more challenging path rather than the easier one — a tendency that persists today. The UK has several options for redemption, but true to Churchill’s observation, none offer an easy path forward. Like Macbeth's early victories, this grand vision echoes the historical ambitions of Britain, but like the tragic hero himself, British leadership must beware of the fatal flaw of hubris, lest privilege and presumption once again prove its undoing.

Macbeth was an ambitious man, fated to be king, whose paranoia and guilt became self-fulfilling prophecies. But unlike Shakespeare's tragic hero, Britain holds the pen to write its next act. Will it succumb to Macbeth's fate, undone by its ambitions? Or will it author a different ending, where past glory transforms into future purpose?

The stage awaits its choice.

Sheina Kiyara is a contemporary academic and Director at Think Africa.

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