Tuesday 23 June 2020

Happy Referendum Day!

Today is the fourth time we have celebrated Brexit Referendum Day. The consensus now seems to be that in future Brexit Day is going to be called "Independence Day", but I still think we should mark the anniversary of the referendum where the British people chose to leave the European Union, as well as January the 31st when we actually did. What makes this Referendum Day the best one yet is that it is the first one since Brexit happened. It is important to remind ourselves of the long struggle we went through for that day; three and a half years of turmoil. It was a dismaying time for me because I learned a tough lesson; the full extent of the apathy, weakness and, in many cases, sheer wickedness of a large proportion of my compatriots. However, all's well that ends well. We are now engaged in the post-Brexit transitional negotiations which will give our newly independent nation a healthy and prosperous relationship with the continental superstate... or at least that's what Brexiteers want. There has been a lot of obstruction to this process that disgusts me because it serves no purpose now Brexit is over; it is simply an act of spite. At the same time, the issue of the joint defence command, HS2 and other more underhand schemes have to be dealt with. The curmudgeons have tried to use the coronavirus problem to slow down the negotiations and try and get an extension to the transitional period. The good news is that the British negotiating team are currently pushing to maintain the existing schedule. The excuse that the lockdown means Brussels can't hold meetings is nonsense, as anybody who is currently working from home knows. The WTO's Bali Package is still a viable option and Michel Barnier has been told so in forthright terms, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC4RilyIkNM. I suspect there will be some kind of solution by the end of the original eleven month period, if not the WTO can easily intervene. As I've always said, this is nothing to be afraid of. Don't be surprised if a "Rejoin Alliance" is formed before the next general election and they will try to scare us. For example, whenever you hear the term "crashing out!" you will know you are dealing with fear propaganda. By the next Referendum Day I hope to report that the issue has been completely resolved.

2 comments:

Laurence said...

The BBC coverage of the pivotal 1970 election was aired on the Parliament channel over the weekend. Apart from the extraordinary societal change that it demonstrated (not to mention the deterioration of spoken English and personal presentation), the decision to join the common market was clearly a priority for the Europhile Heath government. However, the vox populi clearly demonstrated that the voters were swayed by the Trojan horse of lower income tax and cheaper bread and milk. If only they knew!

Ben Emlyn-Jones said...

Hi Laurence. There is always bait in the trap. Politicians have been playing these games since time immemorial. Brexit was one of the few occasions where it failed.