Now we all know the outcome of the European Elections, and nobody knows it better than the Conservative and Labour parties of the U.K.
In almost every country except Germany (predominantly Green) the far-right are exploiting the protest votes of ordinary - if shortsighted - people who just wanted a change in politics, and Britain will be sending more representatives to Brussels who will be paid a fine salary for attempting to bring about the demise of the E.U. than any other party, remainers or otherwise.
I believe that all they will do is speed up the process. The E.U. has already begun to self-destruct, largely thanks to the Brexit mess of the U.K. over the last three years.
In trying to make an example of the U.K. by showing the other member states how difficult it would be to leave, Brussels has shot itself in the foot by forcing an unsolvable problem on Britain which will eventually bring down any government which attempts to find a way out with either minimum or maximum damage.
If the Euro collapses with the Union, then the other main function of the E.U. - to maintain peace on European soil - will collapse with it. Europe will revert to 127 independent territories, each with their own national interests and historical grievances with their neighbours. Old wounds will be reopened and global Cold Wars will recommence.
There is no point in having a second referendum in Britain. The result would almost certainly be as close one way or the other as it was the first time, and the prospect of a second Civil War here would become an uncomfortable reality.
I am beginning to think that our only option is to go through with 'the will of the people' and leave as gracefully as we can, then sit back and watch the political carnage on the other side of the Channel with our drawbridge up. The damage is done and cannot be undone.
The small percentage of people who, for whatever motive, wanted to see the total destruction of the European Union are going to get their way quite soon I fear. Project Fear was a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You have summed up the situation really well.
ReplyDeleteI had naively still been hopeful of another referendum, but the current situation and the reality of what is actually happening has become loud and clear following the outcome of these European Elections.
Much of Europe is in turmoil.
If the remain parties formed an alliance Brexit would probably not happen. Good to see the Green parties gaining momentum. I think the younger generation care more about the environment.
ReplyDeleteThe Greens refused to align with the Lib Dems and the Lib Dems' only ticket was summed up by their stupid and devisive slogan. Everyone tried jumping on the green bandwagon to garner the youth vote, but we sold the family silver years ago so they have nothing to lose. Most of them cannot afford a car in any case. The Baby Boomers' have nothing left to offer. Bread-Heads took all the cream in the 1980s once they grew up. Labour is now desperately backing a second referendum to regain the youth vote. Silly sods. It's too bloody late.
DeleteWho wants a second vote? Just the ones still throwing their toys out of the pram. The only way forward is a no-deal thrust which scares the living daylights out of the EU and then they might just give in to a deal.
ReplyDeleteDo you really think that the average person (by which I mean not you) and the average business (obviously not you) could survive the two or four years it would take to get over a no-deal exit?
DeleteDo you think that if brinkmanship would win the day it should have been done years ago?
You obviously are stuck in the immediate aftermath of the close Brexit vote otherwise you would not be describing the distraught as 'throwing their toys out of the pram'. Quite some time ago I stopped describing Brexiteers as stupid, and it is about time you showed the same respect for the other side of the divide.
Why can you not get it into your head that the time is long past when the EU might be pressurised into giving in to a deal which may suit the one better than Theresa bloody May could not broker?
They have their own problems now which will definitely either eclipse or match ours within a matter of a few months.
They are heartily sick of us poisoning their well, and I don't blame them.
I said that a thrust for a no-deal might just scare them into agreeing a deal because they, the EU, are scared of a no-deal.
DeleteWhy do the right-wing always speak in terms of 'thrusting'? It has nothing to do with imposing the national will, even if such a cohesive will ever existed. You are about 2 years out of date. The damage is done. Theresa May spent a year on impotent damage-limitation. Our influence in the world is now even lower than Cuba's.
DeleteThe EU are shit scared about what is happening. Scum bag Juncker is likely to be given an extension to office because of the fear of what is happening in Europe although there are plenty of other scum bags waiting in the wings to take over. The world may respect us more than you give us credit for. As for the conclusions that have been reached by the Remainers after the EU elections, they dream up rubbish to suit their own ends. Quite how the results justify holding a second referendum is a mystery to me. I can see it no other way than throwing the toys out of the pram and let's keep them voting until we get the result we want.
DeleteWell the justification for a second referendum has always been that in the run-up to the first one we were either fed misleading information or downright lies by people like Farage, or no information whatsoever. I actually had to have discussions with friends to see if they had a more accurate idea of the benefits of an exit outcome than I did. There was no meaningful discussion or debate between politicians and voters.
DeleteIn the end we decided that it would a crazy thing to leave the E.U. in the middle of a recession and it would be better to stay in and attempt to reform it from the inside, as Marine LePen has vowed to do.
We didn't think all of that would matter anyway, as even Farage didn't think he would win. Neither did Cameron. The reason why I think that a second referendum would have a similar outcome to the first is that people are so angry with the two main parties for fucking the process up completely that I am sure some erstwhile remainers would vote leave just to spite the government.
Nothing is going to change with a new leadership or a new government. It will still be a complete balls-up which will put us out in the wilderness for years to come. We are not a self-sufficient nation any more and this is going to hurt a lot of people who voted to leave.
There are days when I am so depressed by it all that I am very pleased I am as old as I am and will almost certainly not live to see the final outcome of it all.
ReplyDeleteWeaver and I are shoulder to shoulder down the bunny trail. I believe that is Aldous Huxley smirking, way off in the distance.
ReplyDeleteI see that 'Labour' will now announce that they are pro a 2nd Referendum. Whether or not this will make any difference in the long term remains to be seen. Are there any 'remainers' amongst the Tory hopefuls?
ReplyDeleteI now see that Tory Rory Stewart is a 'remainer'.
DeleteThey will say absolutely anything to keep their jobs.
DeleteI entirely agree with your penultimate paragraph, Tom.
ReplyDeleteBut not the rest, I assume.
DeleteGlad that Project Fear may well scare the EU.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it a good negotiation tactic to scare people as Trump tries to do? Look at what is happening in Europe now as a result of the fear.
DeleteIt is not a negotiation tactic that we have adopted. It is the end result of what the EU are seeing which is scaring them. Nobody has gone out to say "let's scare the EU".
DeleteProject Fear was/is by the 'Remainers' to scare us into staying in the EU. Lead Hammond, Bank of England C/M and others.
DeleteAnd the Leavers told us about how well-off we would be once we stopped paying all that lovely money to Brussels every week and stopped paying for all those immigrants who assume they can arrive here and get a place to live plus free medical assistance.
DeleteVery soon we will discover who was telling the truth.
Rachel - that is exactly what some people have been saying. You said it yourself. Threatening a no-deal exit has always been a tactic, but has now turned into a seemingly inevitable certainty thanks to the appallingly bad negotiation skills of Theresa May.
DeleteShe didn't negotiate at all, she just thought she could get a deal behind closed doors and come out smelling of roses. It didn't work like that and gradually all her Cabinet left her. As for the rest, ok, but I still don't agree and that's wasn't what I meant. But never mind.
DeleteThat's all true as far as I can see.
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