Peter Oborne frequently writes in The Daily Mail on the subject of Brexit. He has an article in the Boxing Day edition (HERE) in which he tells us not to despair, "no matter how bad Brexit gets, it could be worse. Just look at Europe." This is a slight change of tune isn't it? Brexit was supposed to herald a new dawning of prosperity, a growing national confidence and a restored authority on the world stage. Now we are a laughing stock with writers like Oborne telling us things 'could be worse'. As far as I'm aware you can always make things worse yourself, that wasn't the issue with Brexit. Things were supposed to get better.
He points to some of the current problems in the EU and, to paint as bleak a picture as possible, he chooses to cite youth
unemployment in Spain at just under 35% but ignores Germany at 6.1% or Holland at 6.9% (HERE).
These countries have youth unemployment almost half of the UK rate (11.5%) but for some
reason he doesn't mention them.
But Oborne is hardly a reliable source of balanced information or even sound judgement. Let us take his roller coaster of opinion on Brexit this year.
In February he was praising the idiot Johnson (HERE) who then resigned as Foreign Secretary:
"His idea is 'liberal Brexit' – a potent concept which challenges head-on the claim by Remainers that the decision to leave the EU will result in us abandoning the principle of free trade that has underpinned the existence of the EU.
"For their argument is false. The EU may be a free-trade zone between member states but it acts as a protectionist zone with regard to the rest of the world. It imposes tariff barriers which protect uncompetitive EU producers and represents the complete antithesis of the free-market principles that made Britain the greatest manufacturing country in the world in the 19th and early 20th centuries".
Oborne, a journalist whose knowledge of trade could be written on a postage stamp, conveniently forgets the British Empire, which was at its height at the time but hardly a free trade area, it was regarded by many as a subjugated and captive market for British goods. One wonders what he was thinking if he believes the empire was a model of 'free-market principles'. Perhaps it was China's 'demand' for Indian Opium in the 1850s? It's easy to become the 'greatest manufacturing country' when your customers are forced to order at gunpoint. Even I could do it.
On 15th September he confidently told Mail readers (HERE) that:
"There's a quiet, but growing, belief that the British Prime Minister is close to striking a remarkable deal". "[..] no one can deny that the rudiments for a deal exist. And it's one that would enable Britain to leave the EU on reasonable terms".
"For her part, Mrs May should be able to bypass the wretched Barnier and Juncker. She will deal directly with French leader Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"Merkel has been told forcefully by Germany's manufacturers that it is vital for them not to face unnecessary hurdles selling products to their biggest market — Britain. If that means, for example, importing British-made Range Rovers and Nissans freely in exchange for exporting their own BMWs and Mercedes, so be it.
"A successful outcome would be an unmitigated triumph for our embattled Prime Minister. It would also prove wrong all those who have likened her Chequers strategy to a dodo. Barnier, Juncker, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair, Vince Cable and her detractors in the media would all have to eat humble pie".
But there was no bypassing Barnier or even a slice of humble pie for her detractors. Germany's manufacturers said nothing to Mrs Merkel. On 9th November in a bit of a volte face, he warned (HERE):
"Britain may be on the brink of the greatest political and constitutional crisis in my lifetime. The Brexit train, which has seemed stuck at the platform for so many months, is now lurching forward at full speed. Some say it is lurching out of control.
"Yesterday Theresa May struck her Brexit deal. That in itself is a huge achievement for a prime minister who’s repeatedly been written off as doomed, weak and useless".
By the 11th December (HERE) apparently realising Mrs May actually was 'doomed, weak and useless', he had an epiphany and was writing:
"The truth is that Mrs May is losing the ability to govern. That is how premierships always end. It's never nice. This time it's frightening. Inevitably, sterling was plunging on the foreign currency markets yesterday. There were alarming new statistics that suggest economic growth is grinding to a halt. That is not surprising. There was always going to be a moment when Brexit chaos hits the markets".
In a three month period Oborne went from the heights of thinking the PM was "close to striking a remarkable deal" that would have been "an unmitigated triumph" for her to the depths of putting the nation "on the brink of the greatest political and constitutional crisis" of his lifetime and the PM losing her "ability to govern" and telling the ridiculously gullible Mail readership that "There was always going to be a moment when Brexit chaos hits the markets".
Brexit chaos? Nothing like stating the obvious is there? We could have told him that. In fact plenty of people DID tell him.
On 15th September he confidently told Mail readers (HERE) that:
"There's a quiet, but growing, belief that the British Prime Minister is close to striking a remarkable deal". "[..] no one can deny that the rudiments for a deal exist. And it's one that would enable Britain to leave the EU on reasonable terms".
"For her part, Mrs May should be able to bypass the wretched Barnier and Juncker. She will deal directly with French leader Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"Merkel has been told forcefully by Germany's manufacturers that it is vital for them not to face unnecessary hurdles selling products to their biggest market — Britain. If that means, for example, importing British-made Range Rovers and Nissans freely in exchange for exporting their own BMWs and Mercedes, so be it.
"A successful outcome would be an unmitigated triumph for our embattled Prime Minister. It would also prove wrong all those who have likened her Chequers strategy to a dodo. Barnier, Juncker, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair, Vince Cable and her detractors in the media would all have to eat humble pie".
But there was no bypassing Barnier or even a slice of humble pie for her detractors. Germany's manufacturers said nothing to Mrs Merkel. On 9th November in a bit of a volte face, he warned (HERE):
"Britain may be on the brink of the greatest political and constitutional crisis in my lifetime. The Brexit train, which has seemed stuck at the platform for so many months, is now lurching forward at full speed. Some say it is lurching out of control.
"Yesterday Theresa May struck her Brexit deal. That in itself is a huge achievement for a prime minister who’s repeatedly been written off as doomed, weak and useless".
By the 11th December (HERE) apparently realising Mrs May actually was 'doomed, weak and useless', he had an epiphany and was writing:
"The truth is that Mrs May is losing the ability to govern. That is how premierships always end. It's never nice. This time it's frightening. Inevitably, sterling was plunging on the foreign currency markets yesterday. There were alarming new statistics that suggest economic growth is grinding to a halt. That is not surprising. There was always going to be a moment when Brexit chaos hits the markets".
In a three month period Oborne went from the heights of thinking the PM was "close to striking a remarkable deal" that would have been "an unmitigated triumph" for her to the depths of putting the nation "on the brink of the greatest political and constitutional crisis" of his lifetime and the PM losing her "ability to govern" and telling the ridiculously gullible Mail readership that "There was always going to be a moment when Brexit chaos hits the markets".
Brexit chaos? Nothing like stating the obvious is there? We could have told him that. In fact plenty of people DID tell him.
