Brino or Draino

Draino is a well-known American drain cleaner known to release blockages – particularly a build-up of compacted faeces. Most appropriate in the circumstances. Brino is a kind of acronym for Brexit in name only (could this be the love that dare not speak it’s name?)

Looks as if we are, at last, approaching some kind of Brexit cabinet agreement on the eventual outcome of the decision in 2014 to leave the EU. (Screams of “about time too” are heard in the background).

Without re-running the whole Leave/Not Leave schmozzle, it’s time to take stock of where we are, how we got there and where we go next.

Two salient points which have mostly gotten lost or just been ignored recently. One – the 2014 referendum was the second UK-wide referendum on this subject. In the first, people voted substantially to remain in the EU – or whatever it was called then. That decision must also be respected. Times changed. In 2014 people voted narrowly to leave. That decision must be respected. We hear a lot of politicians using the word “respected”. Good word. What does it mean? (Answers on a post card) 

It rather depends which side of the argument you are on. Both sides say we all must respect the result, but both sides then go on to assert that they will only respect the decisions which conforms to their own ideas/prejudices. (Not an Aretha Franklin sort of respect at all?)

So, we are left with the last result stands.

Today Mrs May gathers her cabinet at Chequers for a marathon session to finally agree and put the UK position on record. (Hallelujah, cries the multitude!) That’s where we are now. Reports are that she will agree to what is termed a “soft” Brexit. Problem: many in her cabinet and in the country think this is a betrayal. She may argue that this is the best we can get and the only hope of the EU accepting her plan. She may well win the day but lose the war. (useful to remember that the 2014 referendum was a direct result of two seemingly unrelated events/situations – firstly David Cameron was scared to the point of soiling his underwear that UKIP would mean a Labour government by default unless he headed them off at the pass – he just didn’t factor in how his promise of a referendum designed to scupper UKIP would work if he won the election and had to deliver! (Wonder how Dave sleeps at night?)

We must digress slightly at this point, for at the end of the day membership of the EU is a political decision. Ted Heath, a Conservative Prime Minister, took us into Europe. Why? Having been rebuffed by DeGaulle for many years he pulled out all the stops to get us in. Heath realised that the demise of the Commonwealth (yes I know it still exists, but it is not as it was - with Britain calling all the shots and denuding India of goods, the Caribbean of people, Australia and New Zealand of sheep and Africa of raw materials.) meant that the UK would be isolated and in perpetual financial crisis. The EU was our only hope.

(You may remember that joining the EU was a decision of Parliament – no referendum was either necessary or even proposed – this is only right in so far as the UK is a Kingdom and not a republic. Sovereignty resides with the Queen in parliament – not with the people. Would that Brexiteers would remember this when the spout off about the will of the people. The will of the people is changeable. Fact.)

The ideological basis for the EU for the Tories was/and is that the EU is primarily a capitalist club. Heath and other Conservative leaders were struggling with a Labour Party led by Michael Foot and featuring Tony Benn at the time of joining and now the threat of Jeremy Corbyn and his hard-left cronies has rightly scared the Tories. The 1970's Labour Party was diametrically opposed to joining the EU.

Hence they are busy trying to get some sort of Brexit (any sort really) going to avoid a future Labour government. This is short-sighted in the extreme – even for politicians. They should know this and be brave enough to remind the voters. One Parliament cannot bind another. A Brexit deal – no matter how fudged – cannot survive if a Labour or UKIP government deems it unacceptable.

Today, we are where we are. Where we will be in the future is the vexing question.

60% of under 25’s voted to remain in the EU. About 60% of the over 60’s voted the exact opposite way. Demographically the remainers have already won the day, if not the argument.

We wait to see what the deal is and whether it will prompt the EU to ease up.

We wait to see how after Brexit the prosperity of the country (at present all guess work and ranging from the sun-lit uplands to the slough of despondency) can be maintained.

Either way it will be interesting – if not fatal.