,
16 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
I’ve previously described the ‘nucleus’ of Brexitism as wanting to uncouple the UK from the push towards ‘a country called Europe'. But there is something else that resides at the very core of Leavery – the ‘nucleus of the nucleus’ if you like…..
/1
/1
This is a political outlook I’ll call “Simplism” – the interpretation of all politics, structures, events and motives in a boiled-down, simple way. Politicians have always done this when presenting policies to the public but Simplism goes much further. /2
Its protagonists believe it; they believe it’s all there is; and they are themselves shaped by it. /3
Simplism thus leads to seeing malice in others (who don't agree with Simplism), which then leads to paranoia and conspiracy theories.
Once you realise this, you see this 'thread' running through everything and everyone in the Leave movement.... /4
Once you realise this, you see this 'thread' running through everything and everyone in the Leave movement.... /4
a)Leavers are good at raw politics but not good at policy. /6
b)Putting detail in any Leave plan causes support for it to drop. /7
c)The ‘How hard can it be?’ approach to everything. /7
d)The shift towards the WTO Option/No Deal which can be explained simply, with (incorrect) metaphors about buying a car/house etc. /8
e)The radicalisation of Leavers – an even more simple narrative, no matter how wrong, is always more attractive to Simplism’s adherents.
f)‘Other countries do well outside the EU, so we will too’. ‘Most other countries trade on WTO rules’.
/9
f)‘Other countries do well outside the EU, so we will too’. ‘Most other countries trade on WTO rules’.
/9
g)‘We voted to Leave – do you not understand what the word leave means!?’
h)‘They sell/need us more than we sell/need them.’ 'Easiest deal in history'.
/10
h)‘They sell/need us more than we sell/need them.’ 'Easiest deal in history'.
/10
i)Blaming Olly Robbins. Remoaner May, Phil Hammond for sabotaging the negotiations.
j)‘Believing in Britain’ and its corollary that ‘Remainers hate Britain’ so ‘Betrayal/traitors etc.'
/11
j)‘Believing in Britain’ and its corollary that ‘Remainers hate Britain’ so ‘Betrayal/traitors etc.'
/11
k)No recognition of any trade-offs. Seeing the NI issue as ‘weaponised’ by Remainer fifth columnists and of course by the EU.
l)Irritation with experts – and when experts are explaining, they’re losing.
m)‘EUSSR’
/12
l)Irritation with experts – and when experts are explaining, they’re losing.
m)‘EUSSR’
/12
Even the smartest Leave figures and Liberal Leave-ish folk are subject to Simplism and so they slide towards No Deal, justifying themselves with malice-finding and conspiracy theories. /13
The Flexcit camp, supposedly the smartest of the smarts, is full of finding malice in opponents and conspiracy theories. The book 'The Great Deception' is literally the title of an enormous conspiracy theory. /14
If as a Leaver you wish to detach yourself from all this nonsense, you have to detach yourself from Leave itself.
Which is what I and others eventually recognised.
/15
Which is what I and others eventually recognised.
/15
And once the penny drops about Simplism and its adherents, you then have to wonder how much store one should set by the “country called Europe” argument – the one thing left that binds all Leave figures together.
There's just a chance it might be simplistic guff too.
/ends
There's just a chance it might be simplistic guff too.
/ends
