I didn't know Richard before, then he reached out to me this week and shared that his reasons for resigning were almost identical to mine...and he writes beautifully. However, I personally think the rot began even earlier than May, to the "bastards" in John Major's time
And, while I agree May botched up, she was grappling with the equivalent "bastards" in her time, prime suspect BoJo, who didn't even have any ideological commitment to Brexit, but used it as a vehicle for his ambition. AND
....it was his kind of tendentious, misleading, reporting from Brussels that misinformed the public and fanned the flames.
He probably thought he was being very witty...just a lark..you know; but such dangerous consequences. Brexit by a thousand ✂️
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This week I shall try to give more substance to my thread last week about US views on Brexit. But first, some background on why it was so difficult to convince American sceptics that Brexit was a good idea. [Partly in response to critics that I was obviously lousy at my job].
First, the talking points simply lacked substance. Our top lines would be bland assurances (eg "we're committed to the GFA; no hard border;"; "We'll get a new free trade, no tariffs, no quotas deal with EU etc with little detail on how this would be delivered.
Second, the messages were primarily aimed for UK domestic audience, and highly political, so eg contained numerous barbs at the EU, which jarred with assurances Ministers would give to US contacts that of course we would always remain friends and allies of the EU.
Several people rightly commented that I appeared to blame all of us for the current Brexit mess, which is of course not right. So I (re)wrote this Billy Joel song in tribute to you: "We didn't Start the Fire". I hope you like the lyrics...anyone care to have a go at singing it?
Boris Johnson, Lost the plot; Tory sleaze, bin the lot
Second jobs; sausage Wars; HS2; It’s a lost cause
Election Won, Classic Dom; Facile Slogans, Brexit not Done
Donors coddled, allies bashed; trade down, our values trashed.
Racist Calls, Dog Whistle Ads; Remainers stunned; Eton lads
Union strained, Families Split; Irish Border, Laws re-writ
Tweets and posts; Lies and Spin; Bots and Trolls, Putin Wins
Fake News; Leaders Lie; We all Lose; Democracies die
Today's thread...a very long one, (sorry) in response to a request that I share how Americans felt about Brexit. Their views were not uniform, and evolved over time. I also don't claim universal knowledge - others may have different perspective, welcome to chip in. Here goes...
Initially, mostly: ok, not sure why you voted to leave the EU, but you Brits are sensible people, must have your reasons, and presumably have a plan. We respect your democracy, and we'll always be close friends and allies..AND
Some cheerleaders - Heritage Foundation, Trump and some of his supporters: Great - we never liked the EU (especially those lecturing pious French and Germans) and now you can shake off the shackles and consolidate with us (ie, do what we want); BUT
Brexit by a thousand cuts: lost jobs, crushed dreams, separated families, more expensive goods, tedious paperwork, supply shortages, staff shortages, fewer uni exchanges, no ski chalets, less music tours, poorer medical treatment, no retirement in the sun...on and on and on.
That's just the effect on individuals. Each and every one of us. Doesn't even begin to cover the broader issues - the state of our Union, peace in NI, decay of institutions, smaller economy, less int'l aid, tarnished global reputation, diminished international influence.
Cake, eat it? Easiest Trade deal in history? New UK-US trade deal? 350 million for the NHS. Controlled borders. Sovereignty? We can try to blame the EU for "punishing us", and whinge about the dastardly French all we like. But we put ourselves in this position. Own goal.
Still somewhat stunned by reaction to my thread yesterday...judging by comments, my experience are magnified 1000 times over by your experiences and feelings of frustration: it's the gaslighting, closing of debate, whataboutism, accusations of denying the "will of the people"
These aren't substantive rational arguments, but diversionary tactics. Also, this govt uses "bread and circuses" tactics to distract us - and too much of the media falls for it. Am amazed how poor most coverage of Brexit is in the press/tv. So much is dumbed down
Yes, I wrote we should try to avoid divisions. I see the anger/frustration that came back to me on that...I too have to bite my lip and switch topics when Brexit comes up in our family. I am simmering inside. Angry for the lost opportunities for my kids.
Some might wonder why I have suddenly decided to be come so vocal, after two years of relative quiet since my resignation...
This summer I was invited to write a long article for the Texas National Security Review about the dilemmas facing conflicted civil servants, and the factors which led to my own resignation...which was published last month tnsr.org/2021/10/should…
As a long, academic article, I did not expect it to spark much interest, but because of the Brexit information it contained, it ended up being retweeted many times...