From top: Remainers in Westminister, London last weekend calling for a second referendum on Brexit; Dan Boyle
History, I suspect, will not look kindly upon this period of time of the political entity that styles itself the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UKGBNI).
This multi national state, that is less multi ethnic than it imagines itself to be, has been tearing itself politically apart, over its whitewashed past and a delusional sense towards where it wants its future to be.
At least those who purport to be in control there are. Despite a system of election that gives an advantage to winning a plurality instead of a majority of votes, the past decade has seen its governments lurch from coalition, to thin majority, to minority governments. None matching the permanently strong system of government promised by a first past the post system.
Of course, this has been a State that boasts of not having a written Constitution. Among the many reasons, those least talked about, of reasons why Brexit has come about as a political philosophy, is not so much the British being told what to do by ‘unelected bureaucrats’, but in having such rules written down, constitutionally defined and then decided upon by Johnny Foreigner.
Britain has never lacked its own unelected bureaucrats. Nor has it been short of having a judiciary creatively interpreting a nebulous common law system that has as it base document, a 13th century arrow to the head blackmail note given by its then aristocracy to weaken the powers of its King.
The country’s current travails emanate from a somewhat perverse attempt, by then Prime Minister David Cameron, to use a participatory democracy mechanism – a referendum; to try to put down an essentially Conservative Party argument.
It failed not only because it produced a wrong result, but largely because it never was a binary yes/no question. In the three years since this dubious exercise, the intricacies involved have been made ever more obvious and are now are even more intractable.
Away from the conspiracies, the power plays, and the gathering together of malcontents, Brexit will surely come to be seen as the biggest ever example of collective stupidly.
It entrenches the tragedy that the hubris that brought about Brexit will also block its reconsideration.
The cast of villains may seem obvious. However the person I believe holds one of the greater shares of responsibility for the mess that is Brexit; is not even a Tory. It is the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.
A life long europhobe, his lethargic campaigning during the referendum help create the narrow majority for its failure. His will of the people stance since cast aside 16 million voters, who had and still recognise Brexit for the disaster it has been.
This week he has sought to convince that Brexit can bring with it an economic upside. Jeremy – THERE IS NO ECONOMIC BENEFIT FROM BREXIT. Not for the UK, not for the EU, and certainly not for Ireland.
A head of government who can’t lead. A leader of the opposition who won’t oppose. Britain might deserve what it is getting. We don’t.
Dan Boyle is a former Green Party TD and Senator. His column appears here every Thursday. Follow Dan on Twitter: @sendboyle
Pic: Getty
Hi Dan.
So I’m growing increasingly worried about global warming and the effects of same,
Such as:
Stunted cotton plants in parched Texas fields.
French rivers being too warm to effectively cool nuclear reactors.
The Russian wheat crop faltering.
Numerous deaths in Japan, Greece.
50 wildfires currently raging in the arctic circle.
Is JR going to let you cover climate change at some stage?
reap what ye sow
Poor little Rory..
Yep that’s me. rory with the small r.
You should subscribe to Paul Ehrlich rory, he claimed we were all going to starve by 1999, and global warming would destroy the earth..
the arrogance of thinking our society is stable enough for the long term maintenance of those reactors blows my mind
Next week. I try to use the whole palette.
THERE IS NO ECONOMIC BENEFIT FROM BREXIT.
well not for the likes of us, no. but if you were a neo-liberal tax cheat hell bent on de-regulation and removal of workers rights then you’d be getting to the short strokes about a no-deal brexit.
and putting it all down to stupidity distracts from the central point that brexit is a grab to protect the wealth of some really nasty tories.
rees mogg admitted recently that any economic benefit to britain of brexit wouldn’t manifest for 50 years at least – “if at all”. there’ll definitely be an immediate economic benefit to him and his ilk, though. 17.4 million useful idiots have fallen for the biggest scam in history.
Rees Mogg’s investment firm opened its second fund in Dublin just this week.
What’s that word for people who say one thing while doing the other?
not just him, though. farage – after years of talking up the benefits to the UK of leaving the EU – just said:
“I never said it would be a beneficial thing to leave and everyone would be better off, just that we would be self-governing.”
Farage won’t be happy with a no deal Sasamach as it will mean an end to his MEP pension.
Apart from generalities and platitudes, I’ve yet to see any Brexiteer spell out publicly the consequences of their decision to invoke Article 50. Specifically, how and in what sectors of the economy will gains be made, when and to whose benefit? Which sectors and industries will bear the brunt of the decision? What will the impact be on the regions? On manufacturing? On services? On community and social capital.
As things now stand Brexit is a massive failure of politics. By Government and by the opposition.
Twatcankles
the only words I can think of to describe yer man reesmog is “horrible twerp”
hopefully a bus intersects with him someday soon
You are correct in what you say there Dan but what I don’t understand is why the Lib Dems are not capitalising on the growing remain vote?
Because they present themselves as Tories with a conscience in the South and as Trotless Labour in the North.
The type of people that pretend to know about Brexit are the same type that talk about Donald Trump ad nauseam. The type that don’t really know anything at all but strenuously claim the opposite.
Two nuggets of gold from Mr. Boyle today – “It failed because it produced a wrong result”. A wonderful echo of John Majors cry for a second referendum. It’s only a ‘wrong result’ because you don’t agree with the electorate. To countermand the will of the people Mr. Boyle is the road to tyranny. The English are being bullied into a second referendum because a certain cohort see ‘the will of the people’ as the ‘wrong result’. Much the same could be said of Trump. It’s only wrong because you don’t agree. What an awful attitude.
The other beaut from Mr. Boyle – “A head of government who can’t lead. A leader of the opposition who won’t oppose.” Is this a fond remembrance of Dans period in office? or a lament for the current sitting of the Dail?
In what way is a petition asking for a second referendum bullying please?
The will of the people can and does change, that is why they vote governments in and out. Yet on this issue they are not allowed to change their minds when they realise what they signed up for. Says who? That is the real definition of Tyranny.
The two years of haranguing the British public by the British media is the bullying I refer.
“Yet on this issue they are not allowed to change their minds when they realise what they signed up for.” – the facts have changed so therefore you change your mind? Specious logic. You assume the public were duped into voting for something they didn’t understand because this is the spin being peddled and you agree!
I think they knew very well what they voted for, when balloted on the following question. – “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”.
If the question is to be put to the electorate again how should it be phrased this time to give the answer you want?
Even the Sasamachs didn’t realise that exiting the EU would mean they would have no access to food and medical supplies or that their planes would be unable to fly in EU airspace or that they’d need to set up 50+ standards agencies to replace the EU ones they would no longer be part of.
How is it any less bullying to insist that they may not change their mind now that the full horror is laid bare before them?
If the question is to be put to the electorate again how should it be phrased this time to give the answer you want?
Exactly as it was the first time.
If the question is put again it’ll be on whatever deal is reached, which seems fair and democratic to me.
how about something like:
“Do you want to continue with this exercise that’s akin to hammering rusty nails through your scrotum?”
just a yes or no
Are you honestly saying that those who voted yes understood the full implications of what that meant? Even if they did, why such fear of another vote?
There is half a dozen ways UK could leave EU, each one having an direct but different impact on people’s lives and yet, they are not allowed to have a say in that decision?
That is most definitely tyranny.
Read this:
If the question is to be put to the electorate again how should it be phrased this time to give the answer you want?
I did not say they should not be made go to the ballot again. I did say the British public have been harangued for 2 years to believe they voted ‘wrong’. Imagine even thinking such a thing. Daft?? I also said countermanding the will of the people is tyranny.
If it is phrased the same (it will most certainly not) the likelihood of same answer I would imagine is very good. History has shown us the British don’t get bullied gladly.
They’ve also been harangued that their decision was awesome and that everything is going brilliantly all evidence to the contrary aside and anyone who says different is a traitor.
That Nigel if it were true, would be sycophancy not ‘haranguing’.
@ Alan
The same question again is perfectly fine because the meaning will be totally different. It will be a set of specifics rather than a vague aspiration.
Remember that when the Nazi’s came to power they used ‘the democratic vote’ as an excuse and by the time people realised what was going on, it was too late. If the chaos of a hard Brexit happens, do not be surprised if fascism raises its head and then you won’t have a problem with independent media, because there won’t be any.
Sycophancy to Brexiteers, haranguing to Leavers. Not much use pretending It’s not happening.
Oh Look Alan, our avatars are the same. Except I look twenty years younger and errr… and you appear to have grown an extra six legs. Well I suppose bexiteers will need plenty of legs to run fast, once the proverbial hits the fan.
If you want to quote me quote what I said. Leaving out the words ‘not only’ totally mispresents what I said.
Public servant call public servants “bureaucrats” :-) Fifty shades of meow :-)
whos JR? Anyway, climate change is not going to be covered ever , Media in general focuses on humans interacting with each other , sport and money. and the odd panda cub born in whereeversberg city zoo. (awwwwww). Even if they did cover climate change it would be a cynical preamble to highlight a stupid quote maybe in context/maybe not, said by a fat rich white climate change denier and the story would shift back to people scoffing at people and the reader feeling superior and nothing would change. Slow news day basically, The insect population worldwide is down to 25% or something. But Metoo and Kanye and Zuckerburg and footie are more important. All the fish in one river were wiped out in Tiipperary last week because all the adjacent farms let chemicals run into the streams and nothing was done about it. https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/nearly-15000-fish-killed-in-tipperary-river/ The EPA asked farms to be more careful. THe whole planet is F==ked. Google “fish killed in Ireland” for some very depressing reading.
Another Britophobic article from Dan, the attempts in this to pigeon-hole an entire population as Daily Mail readers is nauseating and quite frankly, lazy. Are you including the hundreds of thousands of Irish people who live there as having the same mindset? It’s a mess for sure but don’t use it as an excuse to display personal bigotry.
it’s not britophobic.
see your best mate? remember the time you both got invited to a party by that girl you really fancied, and your mate ended up getting hammered, smashed the fridge, insulted everyone there, puked in the flowerbed and stood outside roaring for an hour that ‘everyone is a w@nker and no-one understands’. and there you were, his best mate, trying to get him into a taxi before the cops arrive?
that’s brexit, that is.
I kept thinking about poor Rik Mayall last night, scottser. I watched a few other clips from Blackadder and realised that I quote from it a LOT, having forgotten where the quotes had come from. Mostly rude stuff, thinking it was my own wit but it’s actually stolen, obvs.
i hear ya andy, he was a rare talent taken far too quickly from us.
i’m about to launch into the first season of new statesman again, so expect a few b’stardisms over the next few days :)
…Dan’s weekly dose of dogma and disdain for any democratic process…
Bisted’s hourly dose of sneering and sniping.
How dare he have an opinion..
I’m sick of opinions. Facts only, please.
Opinions and the internet have ruined the world. Well, hastened its ruin.
In your opinion…
Oh yeah. Heh.
That’s an opinion? I wouldn’t like to see what his bitchin is like then.
And obvs how dare Dan etc.
…ok, here’s a fact…Dan used his column here to boast that he intended to participate in the UK referendum on brexit…I’m guessing he was a remainer so you can’t blame him on the result…
How dare he have an opinion on his opinion.
And how dare I have an opinion on his opinion of his opinion.
Just about sums up Broadsheet comment section eh?
How dare you!
Possibly the most Broadsheet thread ever.
This reverence for the will of the electorate and the sacred inviolability of the democratic procees, used to scold critics of Brexit and Trump, somehow vanishes like smoke when we start talking about Mattie McGrath or the Healy Raes.
The people have spoken and they want to leave the EU. If Dan was in governemnt they would vote and revote until the result he wants is achieved. Democracy may not be ideal, but it’s what the UK use so suck it up.
With regards to Brexit, the silence from Irish politicians including Mr Boyle is deafening. All willing to procrastinate but none willing to analyse the likely outcomes and plan accordingly. Typical Irish solution, sit on the fence.
Silence from Irish politicians on preparations for Sasamach?
What colour is the sky in your world david?
rose tinted I’m guessing
so ollie, you seem to be pretty quiet on scotland’s passing of their continuity bill. our scottish cousins will not be for turning on this and you may well find yourself alone with only the welsh to lord it over.
I distinctly remember Ollie giving out about Leo and the cabinet meeting in Kerry about Brexit and now he’s saying they aren’t willing to analyse and plan?
There’s something wonderfully ironic about Irish people who became international figures of fun for allowing themselves to be bullied into a second Lisbon Treaty vote by a French dwarf now consumed by corruption allegations to then urge British people to do the same thing.
It’s not going to happen.
Britain will not endure the shame attached to Ireland for caving in to outside pressure,bankrupting their economy and being forced to rely on German orders to survive.
less of the dwarf shaming banana feet
So true. They’ll ruin themselves of their own accord. Giving the world the finger as the ship sinks, happy in the knowledge that it was all their own fault, not some stupid foreigner’s fault.
Since the Brexit vote two years ago Britain has created more jobs than France,Spain and Italy combined.
The City of London is booming with no signs of a Brexodus and most companies confident of remaining in place whatever the outcome of the Brexit talks including No-Deal.
Britain had more foreign inward investment last year than any other country in Europe – its tech sector in particularly is on fire.
And all this Project Fear 2:0 about food and medicine shortages ? Do me a favour.
http://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2018/07/daniel-hannan-even-the-blockade-of-qatar-hasnt-produced-the-results-hyperbolic-remainers-now-predict-from-brexit.html
Daniel Hannan? Do ME a favour. Pfffffffffffffffffffft.
sheer luck and chance
the referendum result coincided with the start of the first global economic boom in ages. worldwide trade volumes are up massively so it’s only natural that the UK, an economy hugely dependent on international trade, would benefit from this. the humiliating fate of sterling – even now around 10% down on its pre-vote level – has aided this further (and that’s also the reason UK tourism is up). your claims on investment are incorrect.
it’ll be when the global economy slows that the real impact of brexit will be felt, and it will be severe.
there was an interesting study by lse late last year, which you’re familiiar with no doubt, which calculated the current cost of brexit to the UK economy at around £300 million per week. and things haven’t got going yet.
(and that 2nd lisbon treaty thing is nonsense – and has been explained in dim terms to you before)
Ireland was humiliated by Sarkozy old cock.It became an international laughing stock with a drunk Prime Minister who admitted he hadn’t even read the Treaty.
And investment figures wrong ? Britain remains the top destination for foreign investment in Europe.
You’re falling for the usual dumb spin the Irish Times and His Master’s Voice in government is giving you.
laughing stock? you’re half right. the likes of rees mogg are pi ssing themselves with laughter over how they’ve duped 17.4 million plebs into clearing the way for them to profit off your misery. you’re the classic useful idiot.
throw up a link to your investment data (a credible one, mind)
Is The Economist credible enough for you ?
http://www.economist.com/britain/2018/04/07/why-foreign-investment-into-britain-remains-so-strong
Or the Independent ?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-remains-top-foreign-investment-destination-signs-brexit-impact-grow-ey-steve-varley-a7750031.html
The Economist one is interesting. The strapline says “7% of international investors have increased investment since the EU referendum” which sounds great… but further down it says:
“A recent survey from EY, a consultancy, finds that 14% have reduced or paused investment in Britain in the past 18 months. Yet Brexit cuts both ways. The EY report finds that 7% of foreigners have increased investment”
hmm, … so one could say that twice as many international investors have reduced (or paused) investment than have increased investment. Which is literally the opposite meaning.
The fact remains that Britain is still the most popular place for inward foreign investment in Europe two years after the Brexit vote.
Many foreign countries and companies still think it’s a great place to invest in despite the uncertainties over the Brexit negotiations.
All this codswallop about planes not flying and there not being food on the table is laughable nonsense.
There will be some disruption caused by a Hard Brexit but nothing that a country with the resilience and entrepreneurship of Blighty can’t cope with.
I don’t think they’ll have to go cap in hand to the Troika do you ?
who can say?
it’s not that long ago the UK went cap in hand to the IMF
it also attributes it largely to sterling being on its knees – outsiders buying up parts of Britain on the cheap. that’s not something to celebrate. strength of currency is the main indicator of confidence in an economy – and it’s clearly not there
when i questioned charger’s investment boasts, I was actually referring to total investment, which is down among UK interests
Sterling was overvalued.
The drop has done wonders for exporters and the number of visitors to Blighty.
But at least the bank of England is in charge of sterling and not the Deutsche Bundesbank like the euro.
You’re at Merkel’s beck and call old sport.
I’d rather that than an indentured vassal under the thumb of a exploitative toff like rees mogg, which is where you’re heading – happily by the sounds of it
Jacob Rees-Mogg is a backbench MP who has never held office.
And you’re bricking yourself over him ?
Man,Brexit is sending you demented old cock.
i mention RM because you yourself referenced him as potentially the next PM
Even if those figures were replicated after a hard brexit and that is a big IF, it still won’t feed people. 30% of all food consumed in UK comes from EU and that figure is way higher for fresh produce, possibly double; because common sense should tell you that nearest neighbours always supply products with shortest shelf life.
The first impact of a hard brexit will be a radical change in diet for British people, and not for the better. Alongside importers, some food manufacturing supply chains who claim ‘made in Britain’ but use ingredients from EU will go to the wall because changing those ingredients means a whole repackaging and in some cases approval from trading standards.
Now you can goad the ‘paddies’ all you want but never under estimate the impact this will have on the political landscape of England. As their disposable income fast shrinks, people will start looking around for alternatives but, what is really scary is that the opposition leader is sitting with his thumb up his ****
From the Irish Times story on the Mercury Music Prize nominations.
A prize contender in the Irish lack of self-esteem awards.
Dear God,this country is obsessed with the Tans.
” Just as the slow motion train wreck of Brexit has confirmed the uncharted depths of British ignorance towards Ireland – can’t be a real border if Ireland isn’t a real country – so the ongoing snubbing of Irish pop and rock speaks to the London record industry’s flimsy knowledge (and absence of curiosity towards) music in this country. “
Any minute now there’ll be a reference to the Empire.
And herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre it is !
” Recent events have demonstrated that Britain still has a way to go sloughing off its imperialistic perspectives – especially when it comes to its nearest neighbours.
Nobody would, of course, mistake the Mercury panel for Jacob Rees-Mogg threatening economic war. Yet the Mercury is clearly a British-specific award (or, really, an English one, with Scotland and Wales again overlooked too). Perhaps, as with UK government and Brexit, it’s time for the Mercury to remove the figurative colonel’s monocle and stare facts in the face. ”
How does the IT editor allow this schoolboy journalism to get into print ?
You must have been thrilled when you saw the topic of this week’s column.
So much to play with, not enough time. That must have been tough.
It’s “Euroskeptic” Dan. I see you are keeping up with the kids with your lingo…..jesus wept. There is nothing wrong with holding a Euroskeptic position.
What’s next, stereotyping the Brexit voters? How low is too low? The majority of voters voted to leave. Do you believe in democracy at all.
the b.rits are out and its now negotiation
The Brits will not accept a bad deal for Britain and the EU can stamp their feet on the ground
If the Brits do not get a good deal well it works both ways
Our job is to secure a deal that will not destroy this country and time varadkar told the EU such
If not we leave