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Jesus I despise Brexit.
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grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Re: The Beeb up to its tricks again
May 28, 2019, 18:54
I'm reluctant to argue for a second referendum for a whole bunch of reasons. I fully understand those that do, and I don't speak against another referendum by any means. I just don't think it's the optimum solution.

A second referendum in the current climate could turn out to be just another exercise in lies and manipulation (I mean... does it look like anything has changed structurally in the UK since the first one?) There's no guarantee it will be a victory for Remain (though I understand the urge to look for the silver lining in polls and election results that suggests it might be), and in some ways even a narrow Remain win wouldn't deal with the real problems.

I'll be honest -- as a hardcore anti-brexit guy -- even I get exasperated sometimes and listening to that new Brexit Party MEP (Claire Fox) talking about her party "marching to Brussels to destroy the European Project", I found myself thinking "oh just leave then for fuck's sake!"

Think about what the non-anglophile Europeans are thinking when they hear that kind of tosh.

Europe can't afford as many MEPs (from Poland, Hungary, Italy and the UK) who are actively anti-European. It's so important right now that we deal collectively with global issues like climate change, populism in its many guises (crypto-fascist politicians in the EU and Islamist recruiters in Sudan have so much more in common than they'll ever know), the United States having a nervous breakdown on the international stage, and all the basic issues of equality and alleviating poverty that should actually be on the agenda.

Only genuine common purpose and collective action truly has even a slight chance of dealing with that stuff -- and having a quarter of Europe's parliament actively undermining common purpose and collective action is unhelpful.

I'm not saying we need "group-think" but I do believe when it comes to dealing with something as serious as climate change (for example), having active spoilers whose only intention is to hinder collective action is unacceptable.

Which is why the optimum solution to Brexit is unilateral revocation of Article 50, a declaration that the referendum was null and void because it was plainly based on lies and misinformation, and a clear statement that the interests of the UK are best served by remaining a member of the EU.

The government (along with the mainstream opposition parties) should state that those who suggest leaving the EU would be a positive move are objectively wrong about that; it's not a political position, it's being incorrect. And 65 year old voters don't get to fuck up the future of generations because they have confused a lie with a political position.

The statement would acknowledge that the Brexit Party got elected and must remain as MEPs for this term, but that they got elected on lies, misinformation and the prejudices of the ill-informed. As such, they represent the very worst of what the UK has to offer the world, and in return the UK will voluntarily give up its EU rebate so long as a single Brexit supporter sits in Brussels.

(I'm not saying any of that has the remotest chance of happening. I'm saying it's what should happen).
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