There are two big results lately that pit the will of the people directly against the elite opinion- the Brexit and the nomination of Trump. Both have suggesti

There are two big results lately that pit the will of the people directly against the elite opinion- the Brexit and the nomination of Trump. Both have suggestions of being opposed by last-minute political maneuvering. It will be interesting to see how both play out. The long-term (at least as long as politicians are concerned) impact of the Brexit is unlikely to be good- mostly because the EU has a strong reason to make an example of Britain that convinces other countries to stay in- and is also likely to be complicated. Further, politicians rely on wealthy backers, and these are going to be dismayed at the short-term implications of the Brexit more than anyone. So the new PM would have everything to lose and little to gain by invoking article 50 immediately. They could put it off a year. And then decide that issues arose requiring it to be delayed a year after that, and later... it could go on indefinitely.