Brexit is a horrid word. It sounds as if it has been dreamed up by a slick advertising agency more used to running campaigns for new breakfast cereals or D.I.Y. products than contemplating the future direction of a nation.
'Try new "Brex", the tough space age superglue that binds surfaces together. Don't spoil it - Brex-it!'...'The breakfast of champions, that's "Brexit" - try new chocolate flavoured "Brexit" while stocks last!"
Or it might be a new street dance, a passing fad with associated rap-style lyrics - "Uh-uh-uh! Gonna do it honey! Down in the hood - Uh-uh-uh! Don't need no money honey! Gonna flex it at the exit! Let's Brexit! Gonna Brexit! Just text it!"
Many American visitors tune in to this blog. I know that most of them have heard about Brexit and yet they are puzzled about what's going on over here in The United Kingdom. To these American readers I say - join the club! British people - just like their politicians don't know what's going on either. It is all an unholy mess.
Tonight our beloved leader, Theresa May has promised that she will resign her leadership if only our parliament will get her wishy washy exit "deal" with The European Union over the line. It has been heavily defeated twice in parliament and she badly wants to give it one more try, But isn't that weird? If she is successful in getting her "deal" through, the reward will be her resignation! Very strange.
Yesterday, pollsters determined that if there was a re-run of the Brexit referendum tomorrow, the British people would vote heavily to remain in The European Union, not to leave as they did in 2016.
Apart from anything else, two million old people have died since June 2016 and two million young people have reached voting age. Generally speaking, the old voted to leave Europe and the young voted to remain. Besides, in 2016, nobody forewarned the country that leaving Europe would be so complicated and so economically damaging.
I voted "Remain" in 2016 and have never regretted that choice. Lord knows, The European Union has its faults and its progress towards ever closer political union is not a movement that I ever appreciated. However, "Remain" seemed the best choice because over fifty years The United Kingdom's economic relationship with Europe had become as entangled as one of those balls of rubber bands you sometimes see in office drawers.
Shamelessly, I would happily opt for another referendum. The people would vote "Remain" and then we could look back upon these past three Brexit-dominated years as an aberration, a bad dream, an attempted suicide from which we thankfully recovered.
I am hoping there will be another referendum too. I do not believe that people were well-informed prior to the vote and therefore it was more of an emotional, knee-jerk reaction than a reasoned, thoughtful response. If the new vote remained the same, so be it - democracy in action. But I can't help thinking you are right and people would make a different choice this time around.
ReplyDeleteI think Brexit sounds like a brand of chewing gum!
If it is chewing gum, it's dead fish flavoured.
DeleteHah - clever :)
DeleteWhat would the situation be if Britain voted yes tomorrow. Is time up for saying can we stay?
ReplyDeleteI think so Red but your guess is as good as mine.
DeleteAlthough it is not at all the same thing, the whole Brexit situation has seemed to parallel the situation the US has been going through in recent years with our (non)-government and shady politicians. The situations have just convinced me all the more that in many if not most cases the people can not trust the government. Too many governing officials these days have the wrong priorities.
ReplyDeleteThere are indeed several parallels including Russian interference!
DeleteI've tried hard to understand more about Brexit since I have so many blog friends across the pond but it really is confusing. I've just decided that the "leave" voters are your version of Trump supporters...inscrutable to right thinking people. We're at the mercy of ignorant and selfish people on both sides of the pond.
ReplyDeleteShhh! You are not allowed to say such things!
DeleteP.S. I agree!
Your last paragraph resonates with me, a yank trying to imagine any place on the planet I could seek refuge from the insanity in this country. On the whole, I'd emigrate (like my ancestors) back to the UK (except, you aren't that anymore?) maybe just because the scale is so much smaller. Not so much room for yobbos as here.
ReplyDeleteYes, most "civilized" countries have many blots on their escutcheon, but it feels to me like Americans are rejoicing in those blots, saying something like "Hell yeah, we kick ass and we don't give a shit!" I lived on the outskirts of London in the late 50s, an Air Force brat with the great good fortune to experience the richness of your culture and history as a 14-yr-old.
Times are tough all over, but I wish I could step into St.Martins in the Fields for an evensong again.
I loved your evocative comment Kate. Thanks for calling by. I chuckled about your term, "Air Force brat" but I bet you were a sweet little girl.
DeleteI agree completely with all your points. It's just a dreadful mess.
ReplyDeleteThat's good Christina because I wouldn't wish to compete with you in an arm wrestling match.
DeleteCheeky bugger!😉
DeleteDitto and amen.
ReplyDeleteBless you Brother Graham.
DeleteI think that Article 50 needs to be pulled. As it is quite obvious that Brexit was not a carefully considered action/proposition.
ReplyDeleteNot carefully considered but even now a huge swathe of Leave voters say "Let's just leave and be damned!" as if it was an act of machismo.
DeleteA friend pointed me in the direction of this speech, from the perspective of one of the German politicians. A different slant to the usual BBC News items. I don't profess to agree or disagree with her but it was interesting anyway.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63IcW4eo4uM
Thank you for that link JayCee. I'll check it out later.
DeleteThanks, JayCee - I found that interesting as well. The EU does have a reputation of having been indifferent to member concerns, and the speaker here refers to how there was a chance before the referendum to improve it; instead, here is where Germany, Britain, and indeed the EU find themselves now.
DeleteI voted both - ticked both boxes because there were reasons, non-reasons and lies on both sides, oh yes, and Cameron and Osborne on one side seemed no more or less believable, irritating or genuine as Farage, Gove and Johnson on the other. Now feeling slightly less misinformed, I'd vote remain.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the original question was too damned simple... and now we can see why.
DeleteThe world is insane.
ReplyDeleteThat's my take on all of it.
As King Lear's Fool said, "He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath."
DeleteWe get a lot of Brexit in our news here too and it makes no sense in Swedish either! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe language of Brexit is Mumbo-Jumbo.
DeleteIt definitely feels like a never ending bad dream.
ReplyDeleteIt may turn out that you and Paul sold up at just the right time.
DeleteI'm sure there is a Hogarth print somewhere on the foolishness of Parliament, but Banksy did good;)
ReplyDeleteI just had a look at some of Hogarth's work. I passed his statue very recently by Chiswick High Road.
DeleteI hope there is another referendum and that the likes of me and my family get to vote this time. I am one of the one million Brits living in Europe who weren't allowed to vote but are now facing the uncertainty of our right to remain and work in our chosen countries. Just one example from yesterday. A friend's son was offered a job in Switzerland but lives in France so he needs a frontalier permit. In order to get the permit, as a Brit, he now has to have a residency permit for France - but the French prefectures are no longer giving appointments for people to submit their paperwork so his job offer looks like it will go up in smoke!
ReplyDelete