Juncker is a joke. He tries to have a go at the Brits by having a go at the English language. Playground stuff. Water off a duck’s back. There are circa a billion ducks who speak fluent Hollywood. He tells a room full of Italian Eurocrats, in English, that he’s going to address them in French, because English is going to lose it’s value in Europe from now on! Puppy shite. Tears will roll down English faces. They will be filled with remorse because of the decision they’ve made. They will deeply regret what they’ve done to the lovies in Europe. My arse. How childish? How feeble? But this is the quality of ‘negotiation’ that we can surely expect from an overblown ex-leader of Luxembourg. Actually, how parochial can you get?
Admittedly, May had gone OTT over alleged ‘details’ that were ‘leaked’ originating from a dinner she’d had with him and Brexit negotiator Barnier, as she accused Brussels of trying to interfere in the coming Brit election and etc., from the lectern in Downing St. She was obviously playing to UKIP voters and the right wing of her own party; while they were cat-calling and whistling at the girl.. from their local Euro scaffolding. Feeding her with “The Prime Minister will be barred from negotiating with her fellow leaders” and other friendly little barbs. Unreal regulations from the playground. Perhaps they don’t believe that she might just walk away. Unlikely, but after a couple of years of wolf whistling, who knows? Apparently Merkel stepped in yesterday (6/5/17?)to tell the old Plunger to cool off, and that ‘a friendly tone should be maintained’. (Der Spiegel reports the German Chancellor reacted angrily to the [Juncker’s] leak. Dei Welt said Ms Merkel believed the leak was unhelpful).
Juncker said that he was.. “Sad, very sad”, on the day that May sent the letter from Downing Street triggering Brexit. 29/3/17. So was I. A cloud descended over me because of the same old conflict. I know that I’m European, and I’m very sad to now be leaving the EU, personally. But the actual emotion soon turns to something akin to disdain. In so many ways I’m angry. Angry that they never took Cameron seriously, that he was too eager to please them. Sad that they seemed to be too arrogant to entertain him, or anything he was trying to say. What he was trying to say, and never quite got there with enough statesmanship to alert them, was that he had a cage of hyenas at home who weren’t going to react well to anything he brought back that didn’t at least make an effort to address their concerns. Dave was too kind of a man for the job. He wasn’t nasty enough. Verhofstadt’s Euro version of this is that apparently the Brit ‘remain’ side are to blame for not alerting their voters to what Europe was saying……. ! Mmm..
Dave also had an ineffective opposition who were visibly imploding, a sizeable minority of whom were Europhobic in any case, including their leader, Corbyn. And no one, but NO ONE in power had any clue that the greater half of the British population, and a bigger majority of the English, were totally fed up with Europe. To the back teeth, and had been for decades.
Every consideration was either over or under estimated. Would the vast majority vote to stay in? Of course they would. Would Cameron be able to put Farage in his place? Don’t be stupid.. Of course he would, etc., etc. But lots of people who’d seen Dave come back from Brussels virtually empty handed saw the same thing they’d always seen when it came to Europe. Immutability would aptly describe it. There was a detectable arrogance that naturally comes with power. They didn’t properly realise that the worst could actually happen. No one thought for a minute, not them, not us, that we would actually get up and leave. Had they properly considered that, they would have made a greater effort. If not for any other reason than that they too have a lot to ‘lose’, apparently.
But even though many of the EU magnates IQs are in the region of 200, they were too blinded by their own perceived strength to be able to use that so-called intelligence. What a shame. I feel it again today. I really feel it, although I know that it’s a passing feeling. I never liked the Brussels institution; I detested a lot of it, especially the attitude, but did I really want to leave it? Well, probably, but I had thought that negotiation was the best way forward. I was never sure about the ability Brussels had to listen though, or for that matter, to hear. For lots of reasons. I didn’t even try to vote. I was far too conflicted.. Then the referendum happened, and there were a lot of people who’d obviously felt a lot stronger about it than I did.
The reaction of the ‘remain’ contingent was predictable in the circumstances. After all, they’d seemingly been defeated by people who they’d always perceived to be less ‘intelligent’ than themselves. They came out of the woodwork everywhere assuming, just because you appeared to be on the same side as Farage, that you were thick. Or a tory right winger, or worse, a UKIP voter. Or worse still, a racist! And that you’d senselessly, unintelligently destroyed their lives… their world. And they cried ‘foul’ for what seemed like centuries on TV, and are still doing so.
Let me say this.. ONCE.. AND CLEARLY..
WAKE UP! All of you (who will never read any of this in any case). The people who are carrying Brexit to the only end it can now go to ARE ALL STILL ON BOARD. They’re cognisant, and they’re immovable. They will stay with it until it’s done. And I’m now one of them. We are LEAVING Europe. We are determined not to allow any fence-sitting nimbies, or derelict wishy-washers to set another course. BREXIT has absolutely NOTHING to do with party politics. It’s way above and beyond that. BREXIT is not Conservative, it’s not Labour, and it’s certainly not Lib-Dem. It stands for NOT Fannying around any more. It stands up for standing together against The Empire.
“But”, I hear you say, “This hands the conservatives a whacking majority in the new parliament that means that they can pass things like the ‘snoopers charter’.” Yes, but Manchester and Liverpool can begin the fightback at local level. It’s going to be a long hard fight to get Apple etc., and globalised industry to recognise what part they can play, HAVE TO PLAY, in securing actual social justice in a new Northern, Eastern, Western and even Southern construct of local government, everywhere. I’ve steered away from using the word ‘powerhouse’, but there are a couple of green shoots appearing after the local elections of May 2017, in spite of Corbynism.
The next National parliament is already sacrificed to the only majority who can handle Brexit. The fact that it’s Conservative by party is better than any other solution or combination at this moment. It would be diluted, weakened, misappropriated and rendered meaningless by any other combination of screaming genuflectors. When Brexit is done and dusted the Con government is going to have to live up to what it has to do as necessity to hang onto power in the election following this one. Otherwise, dependant on opposition leadership, it will quickly be removed. The coming ‘boundary changes’ might have little effect on a population that now knows how effective it can be when it comes to activating change. Party now means a lot less than it did even a year ago. Once you’ve flipped, it’s becomes much easier to do so again. At any given opportunity. If the electorate doesn’t want to see the NHS run into the ground, they are now much more empowered to vote against that. And a more inspiring leader than either Corbyn or May might prioritise that. More on that later, perhaps.
May has now taken over the centre ground. To hold on to it, she must espouse social and centrist causes. Her party must be in it FOR the people, NOT for the party, and least of all for themselves. If they stray from the wishes of the majority of the people, they will be removed. I believe that Theresa May knows this.
I admire Corbyn. I see him in the mirror every day. He’s a decent man with good values, but he’s not up to this job, he privately argues with his own best intentions, (and thinks ‘who doesn’t?’), and it’s time for him to retire. Farron has to LEAVE, no two ways about it. That contingent are misrepresented by him. Sturgeon has to get back into the water… (no, don’t go there roy). A united Ireland? Well, conceivable, but Ireland might be content with both worlds on the doorstep, who knows? Whatever, a genuine people’s party might eventually emerge from the ashes, but that seems like an antiquated idea now. Politics is surely all about single issues now. One party cannot hope to contain all the disparate messages being sent by the millions to the speakers chair. At PMQs, every week, we see just how diluted very needy causes can become. Ok, so parties mean potentially less anarchy, but the dilution of serious issues is plain for all to see. A parliament is a wonderful ambition, and we have one of the best, but it falls a long way short of representing ALL of the people for even some of the time. Meanwhile, Merkel probably has the right attitude to Brexit. At this moment, the rest is immaterial.
The French are voting tonight. I’ll be watching it. Most of the French people don’t want either candidate to win. They’re as split as the Brits, but they have a different problem. One of their two choices is unacceptable, while the other is part of The Empire. Hobson’s choice. A lot of ballot papers will either be ‘spoiled’ or just left ‘blanc’…. And there’ll be on-going turmoil. The French are still waiting for that defining vote. The vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ The Empire. The Empire is going to be unwilling to let them have that vote, so the French are going to have to work at getting through the maze. There’ll be millions of frustrated people in France tonight. There might not be a choice for them right now, but someday there will be. They just have to get the system changed. After that, when it becomes possible, it’s probable that Europe will reboot a more feasible trading federation. Give it about 30+ years and a couple of currency wobbles. Pipe dream #2. It shouldn’t be like this, but what should it be like. A lot of great minds have tried to answer that one. Off the cuff, I’d have to think.. the simpler the better.. Does that seem too glib? I’ll work on it then..
I should write a little about me and France perhaps… tbc
