Today I talked to a couple who were practically my 2nd parents as a kid. We haven't really spoken since Brexit. Still strong Brexiteers. That'll never change. But they see the mess & think it should've required a 60-40. I said a basic majority on a specific Brexit would suffice.
Part of me had avoided talking to them because I was terrified that we'd have a bad argument and damage the relationship permanently. But I spent the afternoon with them and mutual empathy was the backbone of the discussion.
I have missed them.
They're furious at the way some of the people in their life have said that all Leavers are uneducated. They'd even attended an event at their old university, where a professor said as much. The man nearly stood up and said "hang on, you're the one who educated me!"
I explained that I've had to explain the basics of the EU stuff to Leavers and Remainers in equal measure. That the myth that Remainers all understood the EU better than Leavers is total bull.
Many loud politicians and media outlets are grossly lacking in relevant expertise.
And they can't stand the automatic assumption that they're racist because they voted Brexit. So I pretty much said this:
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Can you imagine if, during the years of Brexit renegotiations (2020-24), journalists had grilled the Tories on their manifesto promise to get Brexit done.... as much as they're now grilling Labour on whether they're "taxing working people"?
It shows they CAN do their jobs.
They just chose not to with the Tories.
Look at this.
It's very good journalism by @WilfredFrost, exposing that the Labour manifesto used the technicality of not directly taxing working people, but it still hits them.
"Get Brexit Done" was literally the title of the Tory manifesto and was NEVER challenged like this.
Boris Johnson started renegotiations SIX MONTHS after winning an election on a promise to end the Brexit negotiations.
So there's nothing subjective about the fact that the Tory government was elected on a lie.
Yet NOT ONE news station categorically communicated that fact.