An article appeared in the New York Times a couple of days ago that caught my attention because it seems to sum up perfectly the position we find ourselves in over Brexit. You can see it HERE. It connects the new film by Christopher Nolan about Dunkirk with the British exceptionalism that many believe has driven Brexit. It is a searing analysis by a Times journalist, Jenni Russel about the reality of Britain in 2017.
It talks about "the expense, complication and bureaucratic replication involved in leaving the union; the years of negotiating with countries around the globe; the dozens of European regulatory agencies, overseeing everything from medicines to nuclear power, that Britain would now have to set up equivalents for; the need to recruit thousands of people to manage new and more extensive customs and immigration systems" and concludes we are not remotely prepared for this reality.
But this is I think the most telling paragraph that will ultimately cause Brexit to fail:
"Britain is not an economic powerhouse waiting to be liberated. We are a country of mediocre education and limited skills, whose preening vanity has prevented us from seeing our failings. Our membership in the European Union is not a set of restraints; it is what has been propping us up. If we insist on cutting ourselves off, parts of our economy will start to die".
We will insist on Brexit - because it's the will of the people - and it will kill off parts of our economy. This is in turn what will kill Brexit and bring about a profound change in the way we see ourselves.
