Like all genial Britons I have been preparing for the season
of “goodwill to all men”, looking for the undoubted positives in life and
anaesthetising my natural truculence with copious glasses of fortified wines,
rich traditional food, pies, cakes and bonnes
bouches – with the Christmas blow-out itself still as much as 8 days away.
Yet there is disquiet in the air, pained mutterings about our leaders, sharp
jibes at all politicians, who with their media friends are bombarding the
luckless electorate with blatant misinformation and exaggeration to suit their
particular causes. So, alas, my Christmas carol baritone voice quavers, my worried
Christmas tree lights intermittently flicker and my Yuletide spirits easily droop
as I elbow away fellow-shoppers to buy that thoughtful present.
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| Voltaire in 1728 |
The garrulous Voltaire was told, when he noticed that
Englishmen can suddenly descend into monosyllabic gloom, that “this happens
when the wind blows from the East”. I can only say that there must be a real
freezer blowing in from the Steppes as seldom have I seen the national mood so
negative. The road to mutual tolerance and affection has never felt bumpier.
The malaise stems from the Brexit national debate. The
country is grievously divided – London and the large conurbations are mainly
Remainers, provincial England is staunchly in the Leaver camp, which won the
2016 referendum by 52% to 48%. The House of Commons is notionally in favour of
Brexit on the right terms but Theresa May’s “deal” is deprecated for conceding
too much to the EU and failing to satisfy Ulster. Efforts to improve the terms
have totally failed as the EU will not negotiate further. Theresa clings to
office having survived a damaging Tory party vote of confidence yet promises to
step down before the next election. A Commons consensus is elusive as the
leadership of Labour and the SNP only want the government to fall; there are at
least 4 sects within the Conservatives – the no-deal Brexiteers, the supporters
of the May deal (as it delivers a version of Brexit), the Lumpenproletariat of submissive or semi-detached Tory backbenchers,
and the last-ditch fanatical Remainers. Not easy to find common ground! There is much talk on the periphery of a
Norway-style solution, a Second Referendum or a parliamentary postponement of
Brexit.
Personally, I remain a Brexiteer and, despite numerous
set-backs, I still want Brexit – control of our borders, supremacy for our own
legal system, ultimate power vested in our own parliament, the ability to trade
with whoever we wish and no obligation to join in the EU’s integrationist
programme. I would prefer a better deal than Theresa’s, but if that is the best
we can do, I would take it. If that is impossible, I would support a “managed”
no-deal Brexit, whatever its risks, taking some comfort from Jeremy Hunt’s
assurance today that “we will find a way to flourish and prosper” (we save much
of £39 bn) in a no-deal scenario but acknowledging short-term disruption.
Sad to say, and knowing that the Thought Police monitor
every utterance, I must complain that the Monstrous
Regiment has rather poisoned the debate. Our Premier Theresa May dispenses
her vacuous slogans “Brexit means Brexit” et
al ad nauseam and fails to act in any effective way. The SNP leader,
strident Nicola Sturgeon, offers nothing but her obsessional hatred of England
and Westminster. For reasons I cannot fathom, Theresa has appointed fanatical
Remainer Amber Rudd to her cabinet, a sure obstacle to consensus. My other bête noire is Anna Soubry, Tory MP,
noisily supporting Brussels’ interests against the UK’s at every turn. I do
wish these ladies would pipe down.
There are other “noises off”, who would be wise to hold
their tongues. Tony Blair, now a discredited PM, much enriched since leaving
office, uses his past prestige to peddle his notion of a second Referendum,
though such a move would simply deepen divisions and, I believe, confirm the
electorate’s wish to Leave. Which sane Briton would want to stay within the EU
now that we have seen, red in tooth and claw, the true nature of Juncker,
Barnier, Tusk and Verhofstadt? Despite their occasionally honeyed words, these
4 are currently the UK’s deadliest enemies and cannot be trusted.
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| May and Juncker wasting time in Brussels |
Calming down after a stiff whisky, I do not doubt the sincerity nor the albeit twisted logic of the position of this famous 4 and I hold no animus against the talented peoples of Europe. I actually wish them all well on their road to prosperity and in their struggles against insurrectionary provinces, gilets jaunes, and Islamic terrorism. Our history is very different from theirs and we think in quite opposite ways. I just ask that they give us graciously the clanking keys and set us free from their dank and deadening EU prison. We are leaving anyway.
Whatever the outcome, in lovely Britain the Wye will still
wind past matchless Tintern Abbey, the Mountains of Mourne will sweep down to
the sea, the winter sun will sparkle on the many beauties of Edinburgh and the
restful parks of London will pump fresh air and energy into this most dynamic
city in the world. A very happy Christmas to you all!
SMD
16.12.2018
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Copyright ©
Sidney Donald 2018
