Few months back in faraway Nairobi, Kenya, the visiting premier of Britain Mrs. Theresa May was caught dancing to some African beats during a visit to that beautiful African Nation. Kenya is apparently a great tourists destination point for most European tourists. The late Princess Diana was a notable frequent visitor to the beautiful city of Nairobi. So when the Premier of Britain and indeed the second Woman PM of Great Britain took those amazing dance steps, she reminded most watchers of Africa about the exploits of the departed Princess Diana who glomourised charity and giving as a virtue.
The dancing Theresa May was then in August 2018 paying a three-day trip to Africa which began in South Africa. Theresa May also danced in South Africa during her visit there. Theresa May also became a dancing queen somewhere in Manchester during her Conservative party's convention when she opened her speech by dancing to the legendary song titled "the dancing Queen" by the Iconic British singers- ABBA. Theresa May has a rich history of dances. It was at a dance that she met her husband. Her rise in politics can only be summed as dancing in the sun(apologies to Onyeka Onwenu, the Nigerian Music maestro). Theresa May danced twice whilst visiting Africa. Theresa danced at a party function recently too.
However, today, the then dancing Theresa May was captured on television broadcasting virtually shedding tears of political sorrow following a forced resignation from office as a result of her failure to get a good deal from the parliament for the British people most of whom had two years ago voted to quit the European Union.
She literally became the CRYING QUEEN overnight.
It can then be said that in Theresa May are the quintessential qualities of man which are symbolised by the polarising opposites of crying and dancing.
As I watched her pathetically sorrowful resignation broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation Television from my Garki Two Abuja office, I felt the urge to embark on a brief voyage of discovery on who truly is Theresa May.
In my Journey of Imagination, I encounter Jeff Wallenteldt who did an entry on Theresa May as recorded in www.britannica.com .
I consider this version of who Theresa May is as one of the finest in terms of objectivity and purity of intellect.
The writer recorded that Theresa May, in full Theresa Mary May, née Theresa Mary Brasier, (born October 1, 1956, Eastbourne, Sussex, England), British politician who became the second woman prime minister of the United Kingdom in British history in July 2016 after replacing David Cameron as the leader of the Conservative Party.
The writer recorded that the only child of an Anglican minister, Theresa Brasier grew up in rural Oxfordshire.
She then attended both state-run and private schools before matriculating at the University of Oxford, where she studied geography.
At a dance at Oxford, another student, Benazir Bhutto, the future prime minister of Pakistan, introduced Brasier to Philip May, whom she married in 1980.
Both she and her husband undertook careers in banking. She worked for the Bank of England before moving on to the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), where she served as head of the European Affairs Unit and senior adviser on international affairs.
May as we were told began her political career in 1986 as councillor in the London borough of Merton, a position she held until 1994.
After failing as a Conservative candidate for the House of Commons twice, May was elected to represent Maidenhead in 1997. So we can say that she danced into the House of parliament after two previous unsuccessful attempts.
Quick on the dance floor as we have seen on many occasions, this lady reportedly moved quickly from the back to the front bench, becoming shadow secretary of state for education and employment (1999–2001), shadow secretary of state for transport, local government, and the regions (2001–02), shadow secretary of state for the family (2004–05), shadow secretary of state for culture, media, and sport (2005), and shadow leader of the House of Commons (2005–09).
In a meteoric rise in 2002 Theresa May became the first woman to chair the Conservative Party, and in that capacity she strove to increase the number of female Tory MPs and to modernize the party, famously saying it had come to be viewed as the “nasty party.”
Even as she earned a reputation as a moralistic no-nonsense legislator and tough negotiator, May also gained attention for her stylish footwear.
Her Ascent To Power is reported as follows: When Cameron became prime minister in 2010, May was named secretary of state for the home department.
As the longest-serving home secretary in over a century, May advocated limiting immigration and was critical of the police.
When Cameron announced his imminent resignation after voters chose to depart the EU in the national referendum in June, that Theresa May emerged on the bigger stage. But her greatest undoing is her failure to deliver an acceptable Brexit deal for the British people.
Here is the full text of Mrs May's speech from Downing Street on Friday morning:
"Ever since I first stepped through the door behind me as Prime Minister, I have striven to make the UK a country that works not just for a privileged few but for everyone, and to honour the result of the EU referendum.
"Back in 2016 we gave the British people a choice. Against all predictions the British people voted to leave the EU. I feel as certain today as I did three years ago that in a democracy if you give people a choice you have a duty to implement what they decide. I have done my best to do that.
"I negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, our security and our union. I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal. Sadly I have not been able to do so. I tried three times.
"I believe it was right to persevere even when the odds against success seemed high. But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new Prime Minister to lead that effort. So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday, June 7, so that a successor can be chosen.
"I have agreed with the party chairman, and the chairman of the 1922 Committee, that the process for electing a new leader should begin in the following week.
"I have kept Her Majesty The Queen fully informed of my intentions and I will continue to serve as her Prime Minister until the process has concluded.
"It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit. It will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. To succeed, he or she will have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not.
"Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise.
"For many years, the great humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton - who saved the lives of hundreds of children by arranging their evacuation from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia through Kindertransport - was my constituent in Maidenhead. At another time of political controversy, a few years before his death, he took me to one side at a local event and gave me a piece of advice.
"He said: 'Never forget that compromise is not a dirty word. Life depends on compromise.' He was right.
"As we strive to find the compromises we need in our politics, whether to deliver Brexit or restore devolved government in Northern Ireland, we must remember what brought us here.
"Because the referendum was not just a call to leave the EU, but for profound change in our country, a call to make the UK a country that truly works for everyone. I am proud of the progress we have made over the last three years.
"We have completed the work that David Cameron and George Osborne started. The deficit is almost eliminated, our national debt is falling and we are bringing an end to austerity.
"My focus has been on ensuring that the good jobs of the future will be created in communities across the whole country - not just in London and the south-east - through our modern industrial strategy.
"We have helped more people than ever enjoy the security of a job. We are building more homes and helping first-time buyers onto the housing ladder so that young people can enjoy the opportunities their parent did.
"And we are protecting the environment: eliminating plastic waste, tackling climate change and improving air quality. This is what a decent, moderate and patriotic Conservative government, on the common ground of British politics, can achieve - even as we tackle the biggest peacetime challenge of any government has faced.
"I know that the Conservative Party can renew itself in the years ahead. That we can deliver Brexit and serve the British people with policies inspired by our values. Security, freedom and opportunity: those values have guided me throughout my career.
"But the unique privilege of this office is to use this platform to give a voice to the voiceless. To fight the burning injustices that still scar our society. That is why I put proper funding for mental health at the heart of our NHS long-term plan, it's why I'm ending the postcode lottery for survivors of domestic abuse. It is why the race disparity audit and gender pay reporting are shining a light on inequality so it has nowhere to hide.
"And it is why I set up the independent public inquiry into the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, to search for the truth so nothing like it can ever happen again, and so the people who lost their lives that night are never forgotten.
"Because this country is a union, not just a family of four nations. But a union of people. All of us. Whatever our background, the color of our skin or who we love, we stand together. And together, we have a great future.
"Our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about this country. So much to be proud of. So much to be optimistic about.
"I will shortly leave the job that has been the honour of my life to hold.
"The second female Prime Minister, but certainly not the last.
"I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love."
This writer wishes her good luck in her future endeavours and awaits how the next Prime Minister will dance out of the current quagmire of getting a great Brexit deal for Great Britain because as great people only the great deal is good for the British.
*Emmanuel Onwubiko Heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) andblogs@www.emmanuelonwubiko.
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