Tensions surface after results no-one foresaw
Two plebiscites barely five months apart in the United Kingdom and now the United States have ripped apart the thin veneer that held together people of various cultures, religions and ethnic origins and caused deep divisions that may take decades to heal.
The parallels are inescapable - in the US, political naif Donald Trump, a bombastic, aggressive and opinionated real estate developer, pulled off a stunning victory to become the 45th president of the US in a race many critics agree was the roughest and dirtiest of all time.
That came on top of a dramatic vote here in the UK back in June when, in a national referendum, Britons voted narrowly to leave the European Union, a shock result that the government of David Cameron and assorted pundits didn't see coming.
