It looks like a bit of panic is setting in among the Brexit supporting press, particularly The Telegraph. With a distinct lack of progress a year after the vote and signs that the mounting difficulties are starting to dull the public's enthusiasm for leaving the EU, we increasingly see articles that are a clear attempt to shore up support. There was another example this week. Julian Jessop, described as Chief Economist at the Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank but not really a serious one has written a piece which I can only describe as incredible. Prepare to have your intelligence insulted (HERE).
The article is titled "Forget the doommongers here are twelve reasons to be excited about Brexit". I won't go into the details since there aren't many and you can read them for yourself but I do want to summarise the headings which are:
1. The Remainers didn't stop Brexit.
The writer does not seem to realise it will not be remainers who stop Brexit but leavers, at least those who voted for it but are slowly realising it was a big mistake. He also claims 70% of people say the government is right to press ahead with Brexit and this is true, according to YouGov, but in the same poll just 44% of people support Brexit while 47% say they don't.
2. Hardman Davis started the negotiations on time.
The Secretary of State for DEXEU is described like a backstreet thug and congratulated for starting negotiations on time! Talk about setting the bar low. There is nothing about his rapid first day capitulation over the sequencing of the talks. So much for the hardman. From the outside he looks like a schoolboy up before a high court judge.
3. A deal for expats is imminent.
The deal on citizens rights was said to be the quickest and easiest to conclude but the two sides are still a long way apart and don't plan to meet again until 17th July. It hardly looks "imminent" and it does not bode well for all the other far more contentious and complex issues ahead.
4. Brexit means Brexit.
We are apparently still to get excited about a vacuous mantra even though no one is sure what it means. This tells us much about the audience the article is aimed at.
5. The only real debate is in how fast Brexit should be.
I think this refers to the length of the transition period but the writer may be slightly premature. There are eight or nine bills to get through both houses of parliament with a weak, minority government and the economy is slowing down while inflation edges up.
6. Britain will remain flexible on immigration
A lot of leavers may not be all that excited about this. Immigration was one of the main issues for many people and the prospect that it will not reduce substantially and quickly will be a big problem for them.
7. Britain can get away with not paying the bill
Brexiteers are much exercised about the so called Brexit bill. They genuinely see it as the bill for leaving rather than a settling of the accounts and since they see no problem about walking away and trading on WTO terms, an outcome that British industry fears more than anything else.
8. The Great Repeal Bill can lead to greater deregulation.
In the light of the Grenfell Tower disaster I note the talk of deregulation has diminished quite a lot and I am not sure people will be so keen on it from now on. Whenever someone in power talks about it in future others will point to the blackened hulk of the tower and the people who died a terrible death. Regulations are to keep us safe.
9. The barmy CAP will end.
What's the betting that after a few years outside the CAP, farmers will realise that what we have put in place is even barmier.
10. Britain can enjoy truly free trade
I am not sure even the writer believes this. By truly free I assume he means without tariffs, something Micheal Gove himself ruled out a few weeks ago when he promised to protect British farmers. And since we are a predominantly services based economy it is the non tariff barriers that will be the problem. In any case to be a global trading nation you need to have something to trade and we haven't got very much that other nations couldn't get elsewhere.
11. We can embrace the commonwealth
It is not clear to me how much the commonwealth, the nations we used to lord it over, will want to embrace us, especially after seeing we can't even live with our own closest neighbours.
12. The economy has defied the bremoaners.
This is partly true. Forecasts of doom have not proved correct but Article 50 was only invoked at the end of March. He admits growth has stalled in Q1 this year but says a broad based recovery is expected in Q2. This is the beginning of the wishful thinking and "jam tomorrow" news management that Brexiteers are going to feed us for years to come.
And this is what we are supposed to get excited about. If indeed any readers of The Telegraph did get excited about any of the points he listed it will say far more about the readership than Brexit.
However, if anyone can be excited it will be remainers like me. If this is the best they can come up with they may as well give up now. Bring it on!
