Thread by @gavinsblog

This piece in the FT may have given me a permanent 🤨 ft.com/content/5e2a20…

So many errors...

Here, he argues this...

But then he says Ireland is now an "energetic vibrant place, where even he would "love to live". I wonder has Ireland's economic growth anything to do with a) EU membership and b) money moving to the periphery? 🤨🤨

But reader, let us dwell on this glorious paragraph.

"The logic of Brexit" lol
"The North resisted reunification because Ireland was poor"
"If Ireland were rational it would leave the EU and opt for an Anglo-Irish economic zone" 🤨🤨🤨

English nationalism is fascinating. Let's just forget about the whole colonialism thing and move on folks.

"In Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the children learn their national dances and songs at school and at home..."

Not for want of a colonial power *cough* seeking to destroy said culture.

But, let us continue Mr de Bernières

Oh wait, the very next sentence. Yes, it's almost as if he's missing some history about his own country 🤨 I wonder what that could be? 🤔

My eyes are getting sore 🤨🤨. I guess this is both English nationalism and isolationism? Also, I'm not sure England ever asked its colonies if they were cool with it 🤷‍♂️

You many need to sit down for the next bit.

"...remains bound together by the dialectic of our history, by the uniting in death of far too many of our soldiers and by our shared cultures." The end of Great Britain is perhaps desirable"

We're a family folks. All that stuff England did is in the past, we should just move on and pretend it didn't happen.

Here he talks about the EU, apparently forgetting how austerity helped precipitate political change they will be dealing with for decades.

The EU had nothing to do with European peace. "Nah, it was NATO gov."

"Rebuild links with [our former colonies] WE SO SHAMELESSLY LEFT IN THE LURCH." 🤦‍♂️

"We can make new trade agreements quickly (I assume with said former colonies?)." Maybe he's right, but they won't be as good as what you would have gotten via the EU, mate. They're also very small AND far away, compared to, er, the EU.

Should we raise the issue of the British empire at this point? Also, read this as an aside: fullfact.org/election-2019/…

I've been re-reading the piece in a strong Cockney accent 🤷‍♂️

"You see that man Boris right, he's funny, he's got energy, he even pulled a rabbit out of a hat! We're optimistic now"

History is already being re-written here that the UK just didn't move it's red lines to get an agreement. That the UK *conceded*. Defeat is victory.

"And if Boris can get a rabbit like that, an EU trade deal will be easy! We just have to think positive, gov"

Those ungrateful Scots! Not loving us English no more.

"The English flag needs to stand for something again, but not hooliganism!" Maybe it should stand for

1) Forgetting your past or
2) Pretending the past didn't happen

I guess it's a good piece in the context of the exit happening.

It is the incoherence of the entire Brexit project laid bare, devoid of nuance, historical understanding, knowledge, or facts, but full of false, dripping, jingoistic and illogical garbage.