BREXIT; BLOOD AND THUNDER AT LAST

Well, we waited a long time with many an arid exchange, but at last the Brexit debate has caught light with some vital matters being sensibly debated. We have however had to suffer an ineffably frivolous speech from Boris Johnson, stretching a laboured joke about Britain supplying French knickers to our Gallic friends and, much worse, watch President Obama nakedly threaten Britain, while our Prime Minister Cameron looks on, silent and beaming, - a truly stomach-churning spectacle.

Obama on cue for Cameron's Project Fear

Obama was a willing accessory to Cameron’s campaign to paint Brexit in lurid colours, emphasising dangers, darkly referring to the unknown and exaggerating difficulties. The campaign, dubbed Project Fear, intends to give the heebie-jeebies to doubters and potential Leavers. George Osborne produced a Treasury paper, supported by allegedly expert analysis, claiming that the UK economy would be 6% smaller by 2030 (£4,300 p.a. per household) if we opted for Brexit – this paper was immediately christened “the dodgy dossier” and its assumptions derided by the Leavers. Then Michael Gove spoke at length about the liberating stimulus Brexit would bring. He contrasted the negativity and pessimism of the Remain argument with his vision of Britain operating in a pan-European and global market to everyone’s benefit.

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, threw his hat into the ring. He spoke of the current slowdown in UK growth as the referendum looms and the damage to the UK finances that would emanate from Brexit. His words would be taken seriously by the City, powerhouse of the economy, and the Leavers need to make a strong contrary case. Then up popped Mervyn King, retired ex-Governor, who criticised the Treasury paper as “exaggerated” and complained that the referendum issues cannot be reduced to a cost-benefit analysis – it was a judgement on how the UK saw its future- and King has long predicted that the Euro is doomed. King’s views carry some conviction.

Contending Governors: Mark Carney

Mervyn King

 

        

Remainers have their tails up – polls give them a narrow lead, eminent people are paraded to support their cause and Obama’s intervention is deemed influential. We Leavers are not so sure. Obama is entitled to his opinion, but I guess he sharply offended more than he charmed. His gloating remark that after Brexit “Britain would be at the back of the queue for a trade deal with the US” did not play well – and anyhow why should the British listen to a lame-duck President from a country sharing a handful of our values but distant cousins otherwise? Obama speaks for American interests, which are not our interests. By the way, come November, Americans, vote Republican!

Many of the British electorate are in a funk. Their familiar landmarks are missing. No Labour voice – Corbyn inanely advocates a “social Europe” and havers on about his priorities – workers’ rights and global warming (sic!). The Remainer Tories are defeatist and pessimistic, let’s not rock the boat, let’s not upset our allies, let’s not pull ourselves up by our boot-straps. But Masterly Inactivity will never work anymore than Appeasement did.

The Leavers, the advocates of Brexit, want us to retain our institutions and our heritage, quickly being eroded or destroyed by the EU. We are a nation of innovators with a wonderful history, with great universities, Nobel laureates galore and with a resilient, inclusive population incorporating diverse cultures. Of course we have the ability to run our own country in our own way! Eloquent Gove should speak more often, Boris should raise his game with real gravitas and Farage should barn-storm popularly everywhere. Shakespeare saw the danger of failing to act:

And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment,
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

We will be resolute, we will unshackle ourselves from the corpse called the European Union, we will proclaim and apply the eternal values of Britain. In 58 days we will joyfully vote LEAVE.

SMD

24.04.16

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2016