Brexit: the saga continues

For the tenth anniversary of Brexit, the BBC has broadcast a two-part series with people at the centre of it all reminiscing about events leading up to and following the 2016 referendum. It's title is: Brexit: A Very British Civil War, and its described as: "The inside story of a vote that divided a nation. Unravelling the rivalries, betrayals and conflicts that tore apart the campaigns, told by those at the heart of Leave and Remain."  I confess I haven’t bothered to watch it all, but I have seen a few clips and social media comments. As far as I can see, nobody who was deeply - or even peripherally - involved is crowing about it and proclaiming that it has been a great success, something we should have done years before. 

Brexit, the lost decade

As we approach the tenth anniversary of Brexit, look out for plenty of articles to mark the date. This one in The Guardian by Jonathan Friedland is a good start. Another, on Substack by a Finnish journalist, Mika Horelli, in Brussels is even better and also well worth a read. Both men focus on the lies that delivered Brexit and have cost this country dear for the last decade.  On the topic of political lies, I watched Question Time last week, which covered the Makerfield by-election. An audience member said voters wanted honesty. I nearly burst out laughing. This is the very last thing they want. They got honesty in 2016 but rejected it in favour of the comforting lies peddled by the leave campaign.

The Brexit 'Horror Stories' are true

In a few weeks, we will be celebrating (if that's the right word) the tenth anniversary of the 2016 EU Referendum. It is no exaggeration to say that Brexit has, without question, been an abject failure. This isn't to say everyone agrees the project has failed, but nearly two-thirds of the population consistently say that it was a mistake. As always, there are a few diehard supporters who are trying to convince themselves and others not that Brexit has been a success, but given more time, they will somehow be vindicated when its finally 'done properly' - code for not all the ways tried so far. 

Reform's tide is on the way out

I genuinely believe we have now passed Reform UK’s high-water mark. Usually, you can’t keep Farage off the airwaves, but he has seemingly gone to ground during the high-profile by-election in Makerfield, which Reform needs to win to maintain a sense of forward momentum. The reasons for the deafening silence are obvious. The self-declared man-of-the-people is having difficulty in explaining an undeclared £5 million ‘gift’ from a cryptocurrency billionaire, a £10,000 County Court Judgement against him, and it now seems he will be investigated for contempt of court over comments he made after the two juries in a case involving two Muslims fighting with police in Manchester Airport failed to reach a verdict.  A man less fitted to be prime minister would be hard to find.

Britain can never lead in Europe

There were some exasperated raised eyebrows among the pro-EU cognoscenti last week when the LibDem spokesman on defence, James MacCleary, during an opposition debate on defence readiness (column 574) made an amazing statement that, “This is not about choosing between Britain and Europe; it is about recognising the obvious truth that Britain is safer when Europe is stronger, and Europe is stronger when Britain leads.” It’s not entirely clear to me what he meant. The most charitable explanation is that he was talking militarily, although even that is probably seen in Berlin and Paris as an exaggeration, bordering on hubris.

Time for Starmer to go

It was quite a week for Sir Kier Starmer. On Monday, following disastrous local election results, he delivered a speech which almost certainly ended his premiership. I had a lot of respect, hope and some sympathy for the PM. He is a decent man doing his best in a difficult job, but I’m sorry to say that he is probably the most frustrating person ever to occupy No 10 Downing Street in my lifetime. He's absolutely tin-eared, and he makes Theresa May look decisive, even reckless. So, I am a recent and enthusiastic addition to the Starmer-must-go camp.

Reform and the theory of stupidity

It seems certain now, after last week’s local election results, that we are destined to follow America down the same destructive path as Trump’s MAGA movement. A significant portion of the UK electorate are clearly impervious to reason, logic, truth or facts. Reform UK Ltd, led by Nigel Farage, has become a cult made up of the terminally stupid. Following revelations that he secretly took £5 million from the British-born, Thai-based, cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, in 2024, just before he changed his mind about standing as an MP, people across the country went out and voted for his party in droves.

Charles III and the ultimate irony

It is surely the ultimate irony, as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, that it has taken a speech to Congress by the King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to show how, in the last decade, the United States has twice elected a despot with far more power over them than George III ever had. King Charle's speech was a masterclass in quiet diplomacy and a much-needed reminder of the fundamentals of democracy. Republicans applauded and seemed totally oblivious to what amounted to a criticism of the Trump administration over the separation of powers and executive overreach. Reading the grievances that sparked the violent overthrow of British rule in the 1775-1783 Revolutionary War is quite revealing. 

Rejoin is becoming the mainstream position

It seems to me that there is a steady increase in the number of articles in the mainstream media about the prospect of Britain rejoining the EU. Both the Daily Express and the Daily Mail have run polls in recent days, presumably to reassure themselves that their readership is still blindly following the proprietor’s Brexit line. They may have been surprised by the results, which showed a huge majority in favour of reversing Brexit, 86% in the case of the Mail. The polls are, of course, meaningless since remainers get wind of it over social media and simply pile in tp spoil the party. I may be fooling myself, but I think perhaps in the past that wouldn't have happened to the same extent without some mad Brexiteer pushback.

The case for rejoining grows stronger

There is a lot of unsavoury pearl clutching going on amid calls for Starmer’s resignation over the vetting of Peter Mandelson’s suitability for appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the USA. It's all getting completely out of hand. I don’t know if a reasonable person could accuse him of misleading the House of Commons if he himself had been misled by the permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, Ollie Robbins. Statmer is due to make a statement to MPs tomorrow, and I assume we will get closer to the truth then. I should say that Robbins doesn’t believe he did anything wrong. I don’t have any particular reason to support the PM, he’s far too timid on Europe for me, but neither do I think he would have deliberately misled parliament.