Category: Brexit

Remember Dominic Cummings? Neither.

Remember Dominic Cummings? Neither.

Dominic Mckenzie Cummings, Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson and arguably one of the most hated men in Britain, for those of you who may have justifiably forgotten. They say ‘ignorance is bliss’ and having no knowledge of this guy must be heavenly.

At the beginning of this once in a lifetime crisis Dominic Cummings was the epitome of the Tory party – one rule for them and one rule for us. It will be rare that I will be quoting Peaky Blinders on this blog, but I can’t help remembering Oswald Moseley’s quote, “two men like us for whom forbidding is forbidden”. Moseley, an equally reprehensible character and leader of the British fascist movement in the 1920s and 1930s, would be proud if he could see the way Boris Johnson and Cummings have dodged what would be career-ending for any Labour politician.

For those who don’t know, a bit of background on Cummings. The ‘man’ was special adviser to Michael Gove *sigh* for 7 years, including his time as Secretary for Education where he, for some reason, got rid of AS-Levels and turned GCSE grades into numbers. (I don’t know why, I’ll work it out one day.)

He then left Gove. “Hooray!” you may be thinking. ‘Ding dong the Witch is Dead’ might even be slipped on and you could be forgiven. But no. Instead the timing was actually perfect for Cummings as he immediately took up the position of Director of ‘Vote Leave’ between 2015-2016. *Bigger sigh*.

After his 2016 Brexit victory there came a blissful silence from this ‘man’. Then some people elected Boris so that Brexit thing could happen. Boris created a new position, ‘Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister’, just so he accommodate his Cummings into one of the most senior roles in government, without being elected of course. Just a side-note for those of you who think I am being harsh on Cummings – Sajid Javid, THE CHANCELLOR OF THE UK, resigned after he refused Cumming’s demands that he dismiss one of his Chief Advisers. The Chancellor of the UK, effectively the third most powerful man in Cabinet, was forced to resign because Cummings said so. Cummings has never been elected by anyone; at least Javid has. Make no mistake about who’s in charge – and it certainly isn’t that blonde James Corden look-a-like.

UK does get back some of £350m it sends to EU, Boris Johnson ...

Remember that famous slogan “£350 million pounds a week could be spent on the NHS” – you’ll never guess who worked that out. *I need to breathe in now

Cummings list of lies are absolutely incredible – in ANY other job he would be fired and probably face criminal proceedings. A quick reminder of just a few of his lies. Four days after the Prime Minister announced everyone “must stay at home” Mr Cummings was seen leaving his house because his wife believed their four year old to be very ill. He left, then returned to Downing Street 4 hours later. Despite the advice the clear advice that anyone who had symptoms or had come into contact with someone who may have COVID should remain at home for 14 days.

Cummings then drove to Durham because he feared that he and his wife would become seriously ill and need childcare. You may, at this point, have a touch of sympathy for the man. After all, the guidelines were vague when children were involved. ‘Essential travel’ was not fully explained.

Couldn’t he have found childcare closer to him? A friend, family member, care-worker? 240 miles is a long way to go for childcare isn’t it? He also drove to and back from a Hospital because there were ‘no taxis’, despite the advice at that time being – “people with symptoms that may be caused by coronavirus and who do not require hospital treatment are told they “must remain at home until they are well”. I could go on about his various lies since this incident but I’m sure you’re sick to death of reading them. But there are two really interesting aspects to this Cummings case which should be addressed.

The first was the journalism. Journalists these days have almost become identical to politicians: sensationalist, looking for click-bait, questionable sources and bare-faced lies (see Johnny Depp vs The Sun). But the journalism in this case was worthy of Woodward and Bernstein. Release one bit of information about seeing Cummings driving around – let Tory leaders panic, find an excuse, get it out there. Then just as they think they’re safe, add the ‘blog’ incident and the ‘long drive’ incident and watch the Tories scramble for someone to blame. Survival of the fittest has always been their way.

Gollum 2.0

Gollum 2.0

Even more saddening than that is this. The guidelines and advice given at the beginning was most likely checked and double-checked by Cummings before Boris was allowed to announce it. He knew the rules. He knew what Boris was going to say. And he knew the loopholes to stop him being properly charged. That is corruption. He was also aware of the millions of people, you and I included most likely, who weren’t allowed to visit loved ones because we believed their advice. Hindsight is wonderful – but why did we do that? Why did we trust men like Johnson and Cummings? Some say the public reaction was harsh and an overreaction – these people are wrong. It cannot be one rule for them, one rule for us.

It is currently estimated that up to 6.5million jobs could be lost by the end of this lock-down – but I doubt Cummings is too worried.

Prime Minister. After Prime Minister. After Prime Minister. Would you take the job?

November 9th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Wow. It has been a long time since I last posted an article. I’d like to say that I haven’t written on this blog for a long time as my last article came just after the news that the Queen had passed away and I wanted to show respect. But to be honest, politics has been moving so fast around me that I have barely been able to keep up.

So let me just start again by paying my respects to the greatest monarch in British history – certainly a debateable comment but that’s what this blog is supposed to be all about. Isn’t it?

And a brief note to follow on from that, before we get on to what I will now term the “Wild Westminster” (not great, I know, but Wild West … anyone?), is that we have all been given an extra bank holiday for King Charles’ coronation. Literally everyone I’ve spoken to about this is so happy to get an extra bank holiday, who wouldn’t be, but no one has mentioned anything about King Charles at all. Personally, I hope he acts like his mother and stays out of political situations. But I’m not holding my breath. But in my previous article I said that the monarchy died with the Queen and whilst it has not actually “died”, we are not French after all where a good revolution is always on the cards, but I sense that a lot of people simply to do not care about the monarchy or their business anymore.

sunak

Anyway, onto the madness of the Wild Wild Westminster. My last article, to the day was when Liz Truss was still Prime Minister. As mentioned before on this blog, I knew she would be incompetent, but even I could not predict a failing on this level. Yes, the lettuce thing was very funny. Yes, she was the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history. But seriously, the only reason she won was because the Tory membership felt that Rishi stabbed Boris in the back. That’s it. They did not consider her complete lack of political knowledge, economics, or common sense.

Instantly, with the release of her mini budget on the 23rd of September, there was a public outcry and complete confusion within Westminster. What was going on? The budget was nothing short of a calamity. Throughout the debates the main issue, on my mind and the mind of many I suppose was the economy and cost of living crisis which we are all now facing. Whilst I am no fan of Rishi Sunak, during these debates he showed that he, at the very least, had the political and economic nous which Liz Truss was clearly lacking. When repeatedly asked whether she would cut public spending or raise taxes, she “umm’d” and “arrr’d” about it, refusing to give a straightforward answer.

Following this she then decided to boldly claim that she would do neither. Continuing with high public spending whilst aiming to reduce taxation. Now, you do not have to be a genius, or even clever, to know that public spending comes from taxation. If you want high public spending, you need high taxation. If you want low taxation, then you must cut public spending. It is as simple as that. But Liz Truss still could not grasp this very basic principle. Shocking.

But alas, she did not “stab King Boris” in the back. Therefore, the Tory members proudly elected her in and what happened? The pound collapsed. It didn’t dip, it didn’t drop slightly. It collapsed. Her mini-budget was just a sign of pure ignorance on the part of Truss and her best-mate (not anymore, I imagine) Kwasi Kwarteng. As she suddenly noticed what an absolute disaster this was, she, like many other Tory leaders before her, instantly sacked a close friend and colleague and tried to place the blame on him. Yes, it was his fault and they are both clueless as each other. But I suppose there is no loyalty amongst thieves.

Her decision to then bring Jeremy Hunt into the fold was also a calamitous choice as he began to tear apart this shambles of a budget. An awful choice by Liz Truss, is that three in a row now (?), but even this served to undermine her position further.

I told Liz Truss she was going too fast, says Kwasi Kwarteng - BBC News

It was on the 6th of September that Liz Truss took over from Boris. She lasted 44 days. Obviously, following that Rishi Sunak became the first Prime Minister of Indian descent. To be honest, it is actually amazing to consider that we now have an Indian Prime Minister if one were to look back on the treatment of India by the British empire. But that’s another article for another time.

So that’s not 3 Prime Minister’s in as many months. And what I find personally annoying is that there is absolutely no shame amongst these ministers. The Conservative Party has been in power for 12 years now. 12 years, with a strong majority is enough time to do a lot of good for the country and if you read my article on Tony Blair, you will understand what can be achieved in this time. But instead, we now face a housing crisis, ANOTHER criminal Prime Minister, a cost-of-living crisis, and the Bank of England has now recently announced that Britain is officially in a recession and has predicted that it will be the longest in British history. Many of you may remember the aftermath of the 2008/2009 financial crisis caused by the housing market in the United States. This is not only a continuation of that but could well end up being even more damaging.

Boris, then Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak. Dear God. And with Rishi now facing allegations of bullying within the workplace relating to Gavin Williamson’s text messages to Penny Mordaunt (article soon to follow) he is under intense pressure as well. He claims he did not know about the texts, but there’s something about these Tory Prime Minister’s that makes me think they are lying. They are always lying. They have always lied. And whilst, perhaps, he did not know the exact details of the texts, although I find that hard to believe, he was made aware that this man was a bully and not suitable for a Ministerial position.

Now we have Tory MPs, unsure of what to do or how to tie a pair of shoelaces, claiming that “this is in the past” and that it was a “one-off” incident. The text messages lasted for two days and used vulgar, disgusting language and threats. I am no fan of Penny Mordaunt, don’t mistake me, but bullying in the workplace is just unacceptable. This was unacceptable. The Tory party is unacceptable.

Prime Minister after Prime Minister after Prime Minister. And now it turns out that Boris did have the backing of 102 Tory MPs to allow him to stand for the leadership again. Just let that sink in. After all that Boris has put the country through, all of the scandals, crises, and utter shambles. And the Tory MPs still want him back. I sometimes feel like I’m the only person in the world who sees this as an utter disaster. What are they thinking?

What good can come from re-electing Boris. But as I mentioned in article a long time ago. Boris is not done with politics. He hasn’t sailed off into the sunset. However, that brings me back to the title of this article (sorry that I have been going round the houses but it has been a long time since I posted and I needed to vent. There will be additional, shorter, and more readable articles to follow, I promise). Why would anyone take the job?

At work we were asking each other if we would take the job, a few people said yes but with ridiculous ideas. I would personally take the job just so I could dissolve Parliament and call a re-election. Nevertheless, Boris is no fool. He plays the fool. He had enough votes to stand for the leadership again. And I believe that before the next General Election he will still be about, like a foul stench. But why would he take the job? He “delivered” on Brexit and left whilst still enormously popular with the Tory membership. Why would he want to lead the Party into the next election where surely, they must lose?

He’s too smart to take the job. Much like Trump, with the blonde floppy hair, the ignorance, arrogance, and self-entitlement, he also cannot stand to lose. If he were to take the leadership position, I honestly do believe that the Tory party would do reasonably well in the next election. But that’s not to say they would win. And Boris is not concerned with how the Tory party look, he’s not concerned about the cost-of-living crisis, the war in Ukraine, Brexit, or you. Boris is concerned about Boris. And his legacy. Nothing more.

There is a saying in British politics that the Labour Party don’t win elections, the Tory Party lose them. Think back to Thatcher and John Major. Together they were in power for 18 years and in that time, they had, arguably, created more division and economic crises than we are faced with even now. And they lost to Tony Blair in 1997. I believe they will lose to Starmer in the next election. But read that again. I am not saying that Starmer will “win it for Labour” – I just believe the Tories will lose. What a sorry state of affairs.

Boris Johnson, much like his chum David Cameron who called for the disastrous Brexit referendum and then immediately cut and run, is not interested in the country’s well-being. They are both only concerned about themselves. Liz Truss then taking over and destroying the pound, her own career and launching us further into a deep recession. She did not care about the well-being of the country or the poor. She just wanted to be Prime Minister. And now Rishi Sunak, a Prime Minister who is certainly competent when it comes to political knowledge. But there is only so much he can do. He is despised by a large portion of the Tory membership because he betrayed Boris. He is despised by most of the country for the current financial situation we are stuck with. He is despised by Boris.

Why do these people want the Prime Minister job? It’s a lose-lose situation, surely. How arrogant and un-self-aware do you have to be to want to take on this position? Well, we’re finding out.

No doubt by the time I post this article there will be more news about another Prime Minister but for now, I just cannot believe what is happening to British politics.

It is shocking.

Broken Boris, Broken Brexit, Broken Britain

August 7th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Oh how it was only a month ago that people seemed to be celebrating the end of the Boris Johnson’s era, as he announced his “intention” to resign. As an article I wrote exactly a month ago outlined, this was never an official resignation. Nor was it a signal that Boris wanted to leave politics.

The man needs to be in the limelight, he needs to be seen, he needs to be adored. And thanks to a never-ending stream of media and millions upon millions of Boris fans, he will get to choose his moment to leave. And this is not it.

I am no fan of Tony Blair, but many will remember in his final PMQs speech in 2007 he displayed a level of grace and diplomacy that Britain had been lacking since he launched his illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, leaving that to one side, Blair’s final words during Prime Minister’s Questions to Parliament were moving, profound and entirely suitable for someone leaving such an important role in for such a long time. He said at last, and with almost a tear in his eye, “To all my colleagues from all of the different political parties. Some may belittle politics but we know, who are engaged in it, it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions – it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. And if it is on occassion the place of low skullduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes. And I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. And that is that. The end.” Met with a standing ovation from both sides of the House.

For all his mismanagement, his lies, his enemies, he still left the highest office in the country with dignity and respect. By this point, his party had begun to hate him, those around him had begun to conspire and eventhough he held a strong majority – he knew that his time was up. And so he resigned. This is not to say Blair held the office with any special dignity or treated it any better than those who had preceded him; in fact, he probably disrepected the role of Prime Minister and the Houses of Parliament more than any other leader in history. Except one.

Boris has nothing but contempt for the British people. He has no respect for the role of Prime Minister.  Attending those weird Downing Street parties (really, who wants to party with those over-grown prefects. I bet Jacob-Rees Mogg really knows his way around a 7 minute anechdote about paint drying). As wild and fun as I am sure these parties were, they were still illegal.

A further quick list – the Rwandan deportations, a vote of no confidence, two massive by-election losses, soaring inflation, a hike in interest rates, a hike in national insurance, mounting strikes from TFL which will soon spread to other working sectors (just believe me, it will), a cost of living crisis, a widening gap between the rich and the poor which is almost comparable to Dickenensian times, as one commentator posted. And Boris’ final words?

“Hasta la vista, baby.”

Are you joking? Your final words in Parliament are a quote from the Terminator? After all the mess, lies and fear you’ve created, those are your final words? Without a second of remorse or even an attempt to regain some form of bipartisanship … is it because you knew they wouldn’t be your last words in Parliament?

Directly translated “hasta la vista” does technically mean goodbye, but is usually said with a note of “see you later” or “I’ll see you again”. But I don’t think we should get bogged down in the direct nuances of what Boris said; half the time I don’t think he even knows what he’s saying so let’s put that to one side. There’s a possibility that studying his final speech may become like studying Shakespeare at school, endlessly analysing The Bard’s use of the word “red” until you drove yourself mad. By the way, Shakespeare described blood as “red” in Macbeth because blood is bloody red! But I digress.

A better way to judge Boris’ plans, and most people’s to be fair, is to look at the surrounding context, look at their past actions and then apply that to potential future contexts you can see coming. Let’s apply this.

Firstly, the context surrounding Boris’ “resignation”. It is essential that we understand that Boris has not resigned. He is still our Prime Minister; but as I said in a previous article, he is not an idiot. He plays the idiot.”All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” as Shakespeare once famously wrote. (If only my English teachers could see me quoting the playwright now! Not that I’m still holding that grudge.)

To be quite honest, I don’t think Britain has really experienced a politician like Boris Johnson before. A man who not only knows when to seize an opportunity and run with it, as he did with Brexit as everyone around him was calling him mad. He saw the opportunity as a win-win. And it was.

But more importantly than seizing opportunities as they immediately arise, Boris also knows when to step back into the shadows if necessary and let others take control. After the Brexit vote, surely a Brexit-supporting politician should have immediately stood. Whilst Boris was essentially “stabbed in the back” by Michael Gove at this point, he did not cry or kick up a fuss – allowing the media to do this for him. But rather than this being an honourable act of stepping aside to let the better man stand (if you think Michael Gove is a better person than you just give up, genuinely just give up).

He did not even complain when Theresa May won the election, by the slimmest of margins, despite the fact that she was a Remainer. This was because Boris knows how to play the game. It was obvious, or seemingly so, that whoever took over as Prime Minister after David Cameron would face an incredible challenge over seeing Brexit through. And while all the Tory MPs rushed to get their names on the ballot, Boris potentially knew that his time would come later.

BROKEN BORIS

Obviously, with the benefit of hindsight, Boris’ plans did work out. Theresa May did make a mess of things, she did nearly bring the Tory party down and it was only due to the divided nature of the Labour party, coupled with the in-fighting over Jeremy Corbyn, that the Tories managed to stay in power.

Boris did then see an opportunity to strike, as the Labour party was unimaginably weak at this point. He led the bid and was successful – as a lot of people forget how immensely popular he is amongst the Tory membership. And, whilst the Tory members may share 3 brain cells between them, their voting powers are very strong when deciding who the next leader of the party will be.

Context. So whist everyone is clamouring to find out who the next Tory leader will be. *Sigh*. Will it be the well-informed, tax dodging criminal? Well … apparently he “stabbed Boris in the back”, according to many Tory party members, because he refused to work for a criminal…

But guess what? There’s no honour amongst thieves. Learn it the hard way. Or the next Prime Minister could be Liz Truss, who is possibly the most incompetent politician I have ever seen.  I am being entirely objective when I say Liz Truss is not fit to be the Prime Minister. That is not sexist. I feel the same way about Rishi Sunak too, as he is a criminal, but at least he is knowledgeable about the current situation of the country. But anyway, who knows who will win. The Tory members will let us know the bad news soon enough.

Rather more interesting than who will win out of those two losers. They are doomed to be one-term PMs as there is no way they can continue to lead the country without massively raising taxes, tackling the Unions and solving the housing crisis – a competent PM could not acheive this. Either one of these overgrown children could not and will not be able to do it, even if they had the best ministers around them and not a who’s-who of political ineptitude.

But who comes after that? If we assume that Labour will continue with its in-fighting and Starmer as their leader then I think it’s safe to assume they do not pose a threat to the Tories’ massive majority.

Increasingly, there have been demands within the Tory party for Boris to return. There are even reports that the PM has discussed and even broadly outlined a plan for his return. Indeed, a leaked report from one of his close aides suggests that Boris has gone so far as to say that he wants to be back as Prime Minister within a year. It really is incredible and, unfortunately, I cannot tell whether this manouvre is too far or whether he’s just a step ahead of every political commentator there is, as he has been throughout his career.

I’d imagine the former. Boris has been in politics long enough. As the famous Bible saying goes, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. Or maybe that’s Batman. Nevertheless, even as I write this there is a slight worry that Boris may be toying with us, yet again. His claims of returning to government, the fact that he hasn’t disappeared to become some millionaire adviser like Blair, Cameron, Clegg all have done is interesting to say the least. He has the option to ride off into the sunset with millions of pounds to sit with – but he isn’t. Why? Don’t tell me it’s out of some patriotic duty he must feel. Give it a rest.

But with over 8,000 Conservative Party Members signing a petition calling for Boris to be put back on the ballot paper, people should be concerned. Boris’ tenure has led to a failed Brexit, with strains on relations with Europe, the USA and the rest of the world as Britain seeks to isolate itself further. Added to that, the lies, the crimes, the wasted money on COVID schemes. Even as I research this article I come across new information that Norway could cut power to Britain, compounding the effect of the predictions that the UK’s energy prices are expected to jump by 70% in October.

Boris’ tenure has been marred by such headlines. And whilst the next PM will definitely be either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, don’t expect either to be around for long. In fact, don’t expect much from either of them – the situation will get worse before it gets better.

But “Hasta la vista baby” ??? All we can do is hope we never see you again Boris. Hope beyond hope.

Rats Leaving the Sinking Ship (But that “Ship” is the British Government!)

July 6th, 2022 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Why are we celebrating? Well, because last night Rishi Sunak (the Govermment’s Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Sajid Javid (Health Secretary), amongst others, handed in their official resignations as members of the cabinet. I suppose we all knew this would come at some point – it had too.

Here’s a quick list of the Ministers (different to being in the cabinet) who have also resigned:

  • Will Quince, Education Minister
  • Alex Chalk, Solicitor General
  • Robin Walker, Education Minister
  • John Glen, Treasury Minister
  • Victoria Atkins, Justice Minister
  • Jo Churchill, Environment Minister
  • Stuart Andrew, Housing Minister

But what is more interesting is the specific cabinet ministers who have resigned. And I expect more to come.

After 2 years of Covid lockdowns, restriction, changing financial policies and record-breaking cases of deaths we now have no Chancellor of the Exchequer or Health Secretary. Yes, Nadhim Zahawi will become the new Chancellor; there are even rumours that he was threatening to also resign if he was not given the Chancellor role.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. 

Steve Barclay will become the new Health Secretary. I hear you ask “who”? Good question. Well, after being elected he previously served as “Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union” from 2018 to 2020 and that went um … well. Essentially, they’re seat fillers, looking to get ahead and siding with the PM to make it seem as if Boris was prepared for this.

And to be fair, throughout his career Boris has always been a step ahead of the game. He plays the buffoon, the “loveable” (I use that word because I have heard others refer to him in such a manner) clown. But let’s not forget he was a very talented journalist. He then moved into politics at the exact right time, defeating Ken Livingstone in 2008. Ken Livingston was actually the first Mayor of London, elected in 2000, and was responsible for winning the UK’s bid for the 2012 Olympics. As well as implementing ride-and-go bikes for people to get around the city easier. They’re now called “Boris Bikes”.

During the Brexit referendum Boris chose the side of “leave” which I think shocked many because, if he were to tell the truth (highly unlikely in any circumstance), he would probably admit that he is not a Brexiteer. But he saw that through, eventually winning. Then, he allowed Theresa May to immediately take over and take the brunt of the Brexit anger. It was only after this had, to some extent, settled down that Boris saw his opportunity to reach the position of Prime Minister, something which he told his dad he was going to be when he was 9 years old.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

So, as the cost-of-living crisis increases, COVID cases continue to rise and the UK is stuck with an unbelievable amount of debt, matched only by record levels of inflation and a recession which technically hasn’t begun yet if you follow the strict definition of what a “recession” is. But everyone knows it’s coming and they’re batting down the hatches.

Rishi probably had his resignation letter prepared as soon as the tax-dodging, non-domicile news about his wife was leaked. You cannot be Chancellor and a tax dodger. Although, there used to be a time when we would not have a convicted criminal as a Prime Minister and yet here, we are.

And I agree, I think it is no coincidence that these two Ministers in particular resigned. Because what can they do? Apart from leave it to the next guy to sort. Remember David Cameron after the Brexit Referendum? Cut. And. Run.

But what’s more pertinent, relevant, and perhaps scary in my eyes is that we are celebrating the collapse of our own government. This is madness, surely. Yes, they should all resign. But these are ministers and MPs who have backed Boris Johnson all the way; they were all biding their time and I feel like the Pincher scandal was the opportunity that they all seized. The Pincher scandal is disgusting. The man is disgusting. But the Tory Cabinet is disgusting too. Whilst you were in lockdown, doing those annoying Zoom quizzes with family you hadn’t seen in years, they were partying and lying and laughing at you. And me. Us.

But the celebrations that Boris may finally disappear need to be quick and then we need to focus back on politics. Our cabinet is resigning. Our PM is a liar, cheat, narcissist, and a criminal. I recently wrote an article on how Democracy is failing. Our government is failing. Whatever happens in the USA tends to happen in Britain 5/10 years later (if not sooner). Democracy is failing in this country. We can see it crumbling in front of us!

So, these celebrations must be quick, but then we must act to preserve the nature of democracy in this country. We cannot have a cabinet filled with criminals. We cannot have a Prime Minister who invites Sue Gray (the investigator of the “party-gate” claims) to his office to tell her not to produce the report. Then say she was never invited. Then suddenly remember she was. A liar through and through.

But much like how Boris has seen and picked his moments throughout his career – Starmer and Labour or The Liberal Democrats must see this as their chance to hammer the final nail in the coffin. They cannot be weak. They must strike at PMQs, they have to be on the streets. Now is not the time to watch the world burn, as Labour seem to have been doing over the last few years. The time is now for Starmer to prove his worth and prove that he is a better politician, leader, and human being than Boris.

For the sake of the country. Don’t screw this up.

Brexit – You Broke It, You Bought It

January 10th, 2021 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

I’m not sure if many people remember where/when they were when the Brexit result was announced. I remember exactly. It was the day after we got our exam results and we decided to go out. One of my friends, who shall remain nameless, overdid it and I was forced to look after him for the night. I woke up bright and breezy and went into my friend’s living room.

I switched on the TV and saw those two famous numbers that would dominate British political discourse for the next five years of my life. 52% to 48%. (Why oh why could they not have put a 5% minimum limit on it, why?) I imagine it’s because, much like me, most people never ever expected Britain to leave the EU. I went into my friend’s room and in his sick-covered shirt he sat bolt upright, ran down the stairs and started watching the news – nearly wept. Boris’ blatant lies, Michael Gove’s muddled statements, the chilling racist undercurrent which cut through the entire campaign. The expectation that all your problems were caused by the EU and its institutions is shocking.

Tories must admit the lies of Brexit to save the economy – and themselves - New Statesman

Essentially, as I said it would, the vote would come down to a simple question about whether people were happy with their current situation/lives or whether they were not. It is clear from that outcome that most were not. But this was after six years of Conservative rule. So is the austerity you face, the rise in foodbanks, the tripling of our national debt, joblessness, homelessness etc. Is that more down to a harsh government? Or an international unified body which has no ability to dictate a sovereign states’ laws. Obviously, the latter …?

I won’t go through a list of the lies they told you. You’ve heard them all and if you had any political nous, common sense, or a brain cell you would instantly see them for what they were, complete rubbish? I’m not a fan of James O’Brien, he does a daily talk show for LBC, but he has been consistently arguing against Brexit since the vote and has received a ridiculous amount of online hatred for it. I don’t agree with everything he says and do find him to be a bit patronising to people who may not be as educated as he is. But if you get a chance, you should definitely give him a listen.

In one portion of his show, my personal favourite, he gets a lot of angry Brexit supporters to ring in and simply say why we’ll be better off outside the EU. He asks them to specifically name one law, as I have done to my Brexit-voting kin, that they did not like obeying while in the EU. One man jokingly answered, “straight bananas” to about 10 seconds of stunned silence. Another woman seriously replied, “blue passports”, utterly seriously, and when asked whether this would improve poverty, housing, suicide rates, a crumbling NHS, people who rely on the freedom of movement – she immediately hung up.

My biggest argument for the EU had nothing to do with freedom of movement or the economy. In fact, there are certain aspects of the European Union, particularly the Commission, which I find wholly undemocratic and fundamentally disagree with. However, the creation of the European Union (technically starting as the European Economic Community ironically without Britain) has led to 65 years of peace between European nations.

This is the longest period of peace in the region in over 2,000 years. 65 years out of 2000.

It’s because it came down to immigration. Which is fine and I honestly don’t understand the problem. Being concerned about immigration affecting your livelihood etc can be a genuine problem and people admitting that can be a real step forward because then a genuine discussion can be had on the pros and cons of immigration. The problem arises when someone says they did vote on the basis of immigration and immediately get called a racist, shutting down the argument and making the debate even more controversial.

A lot of Brexit voters said there would be no delay in organising a deal because the EU needs us as much as we need them. When will this Dunkirk/Blitz spirit end? We are not the country that once controlled 3/4 of the globe. We are a country run by an unelected blonde fool who is being run by an even bigger unelected blonde fool. European countries look upon us a joke. Believe it.