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Jon Worth Profile picture
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31 Dec 20, 7 tweets, 3 min read
UK academic takes the absolutist position of a provocative French journalist, and uses this as a mirror for his own absolutist position that the EU has not reflected about the impact of Brexit

The same academic is then criticised for this position - because that there has been *no* reflection in the EU is not the case - but then twists the words of those responses

For the record here is the search - not a single person replied to Menon saying the EU was perfect

twitter.com/search?q=perfe…
For some reason others jump on board to defend the academic

And so the cycle carries on...
Basically, @anandMenon1, do you want to be considered as an academic? If you do, tweeting in a categoric but incorrect manner in response to Quatremer (who you know is a polemicist) is going to leave you open to critique.
If instead @anandMenon1 you want to be a polemicist, fair enough, but then please drop the pretence that @UKandEU that you head is some sort of impartial academic body.

You'd not want to have your cake and eat it, would you?

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More from @jonworth

Jon Worth Profile picture
30 Dec 20
In my politically formative years - in my teens - I always struggled with references to politicians of previous generations.

“Edward Heath would have done that!” or “Harold Wilson would have done that better!” people might have said, but it didn’t resonate
Now of course I’ve subsequently read about Wilson and Heath and plenty of others besides. I have an impression of how those political times must have been
But then this week my immediate reaction - when hearing the Commons would have a matter of just a few hours to scrutinise the trade deal - was to wonder how Robin Cook would have behaved
Read 10 tweets
Jon Worth Profile picture
26 Dec 20
I saw these Johnson pics circulating on Twitter, and assumed this must be a kind of hatchet job against the PM somehow... but no, they're ALL on the official Flickr channel - Creative Commons Licensed no less!

flickr.com/photos/number1…
Mackerel, damn it!
I got it wrong, didn't I
Read 7 tweets
Jon Worth Profile picture
25 Dec 20
I’ve argued in depth why Labour ought to abstain rather than voting for a Deal: jonworth.eu/why-if-there-i…

@campbellclaret & @annaturley have made similar arguments

But it looks like Starmer is committed to the error... but what then? Can it be put right? A 🧵
Whatever Starmer hopes or thinks, the EU issue is not going to disappear from UK politics

The Deal isn’t good. It’ll cause practical headaches, esp at Dover. It’ll damage UK’s economic prospects
Short term Brexit helps drive support for independence in Scotland too, although let’s assume for now Scotland is still in the UK at the time of the next General Election - in 2024
Read 11 tweets
Jon Worth Profile picture
25 Dec 20
I wonder whether the "new variant" of Coronavirus was one of those Sliding Doors moments... for Brexit
Had the new variant not emerged, COVID spread in South Eastern England might have been slower

And at the very least lockdown not working, rather than the "new variant", would have been communicated as the cause of a spike
By so strongly attributing *everything* to the "new variant" (whether rightly or wrongly is immaterial here), other countries were rightly fearful, and closed their borders to the UK
Read 7 tweets
Jon Worth Profile picture
24 Dec 20
One thing that nagged at me at the press conference today (and not for the first time listening to Johnson recently) was his lack of comprehension

@dasvee was also wondering about this

It needs a bit more investigation

1/11
It was most clear today when Peston asked Johnson a semi complicated question - and then Johnson went off on a circuitous and plain strange answer you were just waiting for it to stop because it was too painful

2/11
"He's just a bullshitter" you might say

But I am not sure. Today I had the feeling he did not even understand what he was being asked

There is an emptiness to this version of Johnson that I find hard to fathom

3/11
Read 11 tweets
Jon Worth Profile picture
24 Dec 20
I think there is nothing more I can contribute now

When Brexit matters have been uncertain I have tried to map what happens next

But now we know what the next steps are
It's odds-on a text will emerge. The Council will approve it by written procedure (🇫🇮🇳🇱 Parliaments might need to mandate their Prime Ministers to OK it, but they will)
On 🇬🇧 side the Commons and Lords will meet 30 December to approve a Bill implementing it

There'll be some gnashing of teeth, and complains about P. 427 sub para 4(b), but they'll approve it

Starmer will likely whip to vote For it, and a couple of front benchers might resign
Read 13 tweets

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