Yes
A strong statement was needed indeed, because of the lack of time there is meanwhile for small velvet glove steps, and to encourage May to deal with her home base first, before going coming Thursday to Brussels with hard-Brexiteer pipedreams, and therefore empty hands, to make any chance to achieve something in Brussels.
And in the good guy, bad guy game, Tusk is usually the one to pick up the role as the bad guy. Normally by being precise and direct.
At one minute before twelve, a hard jab from him was imo certainly justified at the leading promoters of Brexit, not at the grassroots unknown people, but at the leaders with authority positions, whether politicians, newsmedia, thinktanks, etc.
Putting the blame on them for the impossible mess and the consequences.
But that hell... I just don't like publicly polarising top-down into such emotions... they tend to get a life on their own.
Anyway... I see from various reactions in the UK that the statements from Tusk are there also supported.
For example by Stephen Gethins of the SNP, by Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Fein. Let's see how it goes.
And lessons learned from that Scotland referendum... yes, you are right there...too bad the Brexiteers learned from it... and Cameron not... not even bothering to take responsibility to outflank that... not even a more precise referendum in main directions as common sense.
From what I think to know and understand so far Cameron is the one really to blame. Not only with austerity, but also in general governing a country and a people. He picked up the bottle with the genius.
Ipsos is doing polls on the UK, including this update of Jan 2019, also measuring the main concerns of the UK people. The EU as concern was at its lowest point just after Cameron became PM in 2009.
The second graph incl the other main concerns polled, to get it in context.
https://www.slideshare.net/IpsosMORI/ipsos-mori-issues-index-january-2019
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