The main character in this catastrophe is the United Kingdom, and the chief protagonists in its demise into a pariah state at breath-taking velocity are a precocious liar and a man who is absolutely unrivalled in reaping division – with a surname similar to the small structure you park your car in. On reflection, what could possibly have gone wrong? Dare I ask? Indeed I did – choosing to speak to those who voted to leave the European Union (EU) and now regret it.
In a nutshell, the great BREXIT promise has imploded into a tragedy, which the incumbent Prime Minister (for now) acknowledges. Many commentators predicted this – along with the Office for Budget Responsibility that calculated the economic shockwave as twice that of the pandemic; but these cries were simply dismissed as “project fear.” The current cost of living crisis could be more accurately labelled as the cost of BREXIT, since all major trunk roads lead back to the decision to leave the EU in 2016. Don’t be fooled by the conflict in Ukraine chatter (in 2021 imports from Russia made up 4% of gas used in the UK) or by the COVID-19 diversion – no EU member state was immune from the pandemic.
Nearly six years on, and the assured ascendancy of Global Britain is ─ at best – pitiful in comparison to where the UK would have been if we hadn’t committed fiscal hari-kari. Having studied our previous relationship with the EU at post graduate level, I know that the central claim of the vote leave campaign – Take back control (sovereignty) – was a load of twaddle, and indeed the government latterly confirmed this in a little read policy paper in 2017. I have written extensively about the subject and can justify the claims, but I suspect that if you still maintain that BREXIT is a good thing, then facts have little meaning and I wish you a fond farewell at this point.
In this particular inquest I was keen to establish the views of a sample group of leave voters who subsequently realised that they had been duped. Deception is often the bitterest of pills to swallow; to acknowledge it takes guts, and I would like to thank those souls who nonetheless braved the court of embarrassment and spoke to me. Through various social media channels and conversations I was able to collect enough data to meet the ethics of equitable enquiry.
Setting the scene, I framed the following context and probed my cohort with a series of follow up questions:
In June 2022 Jacob Rees-Mogg MP (the then Brexit opportunities Minister) was asked by LBC’s Rachael Venables what differences Brits might appreciate in their day-to-day lives outside of the EU as the cost of living worsened.
He immediately pointed out that a 2% increase on the price of fish fingers had been averted. He then added that the avoidance of a 70% hike in the cost of some cheeses was also cause for celebration.
BREXIT has been an unmitigated disaster, yet the likes of Rees-Mogg still bang the drum of BREXIT opportunities which – save the ones above – have failed to materialise.
Firstly, I was interested in establishing the primary reasons for voting to leave the EU ─ priming my respondents with a list of the usual suspects: controlling immigration, sovereignty, more funding for the NHS, and a dislike of the orchestrator of the opinion poll, David Cameron.
Unsurprisingly the consensus was a smorgasbord, typified by Alan: “No primary reason. A combination, including those above, but not based on Cameron.”
The reality of how the EU works is such that, bar going to war with another member state, Blighty could, while a member, do very much as they pleased due to parliamentary supremacy – the constitutional mechanism that will never allow any outside entity to have any control over us. The truth of the matter – very much lost in the BREXIT debate – was that these important issues were domestic ones that our own Government had the ultimate power to deal with. But it’s far easier to blame that lot over there – or if you are a David Brent fan – that lot from Swindon.
I was fascinated to understand the underlying rationale for pulling away from an institution whose primary raison d’être was to maintain peace in Europe – one of the most conflict-ridden places on earth. Additionally, why disengage from agreements designed to make it easier for people to enjoy several mutually compatible desires? I provided my respondents with three options: emotion, a thorough understanding of the UK’s relationship with the EU, or mainstream media.
A whopping 94% cited mainstream media, with Jane catching the mood in the room: “I admit to not fully understanding the UK’s relationship with the EU and being led by government misinformation.” Indeed, there is a tsunami of evidence that BREXIT was constructed on a bed of lies, the majority of which were given headline grabbing prominence in a huge chunk of the UK media, especially newspapers. It could encourage one to ponder why the owners of BREXIT supporting newspapers and news channels were so eager to support the leave narrative. I would recommend that you visit the places they call home and speak to them, although don’t forget to book a return flight. Phil conceded, “A complete disaster for the UK built on lies.” In 2019, GQ magazine produced a handy A to Z of BREXIT lies.
I decided to go for the jugular and ask the question needing to be ushered into the conversation: how duped do you now feel? Allowing a generous range from 50% upwards, the result was resounding: 100%.
Other than the suggested wins on fishfingers and some cheeses, as championed by Rees-Mogg, I was curious to discover what significant BREXIT benefits my crowd have enjoyed that substantially improves life. A clean sweep again; absolutely nothing. Zilch. Nada.
Expanding the list of key leave actors to include Dominic Cummings, and the option of anyone else, the verdict was damning. In excess of 90% held the guy on the red BREXIT bus, who looks as though he combs his hair with a toffee apple, as wholly responsible for the disaster. Covering all bases, Mandy lamented, “All of them. I don’t believe any of them had the best interests of the UK at the heart of their campaigns.” Interestingly, Colin excused the guy who loves to be photographed with a pint in his hand: “Farage never got his hands on any levers of parliamentary power.”
Posing the question: Initially did you believe the infamous slogan on the side of the Boris Bus? 95% of the less than chirpy group admitted they had. It was – I guess predictably – another piece of fiction that even Billy Liar may have winced at. The power of the UK’s mainstream media was a potent force, amplified by incessant bombardment via numerous social media platforms. Had it become that easy to brainwash a huge swathe of the nation? It was of course, and the ‘big lie’ propaganda is, unfortunately, nothing new.
Steering the conversation towards misconduct in a public office (that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment) I wondered if any of the respondents believed that some of the BREXIT protagonists should face justice?
The vitriol was venomous; a pattern nonetheless developed, characterised by responses such as, “BJ, Farage, and multiple others who put their own interests first,” and, “Johnson, Cameron, Rees-Mogg.”
I felt empowered to ask the clincher: If there was another referendum in 2023 would you vote to rejoin the EU? The result was as emphatic as I expected: 100% yes. The follow up on whether the UK would eventually reclaim its EU star was just as euphoric.
Brian summed up his obvious anger by labelling those who still peddle the BREXIT myth: “The ones who still argue that it was a good thing to do are either the super-rich, swivelled-eyed loons, or the stupid.” Probing him further I was intrigued to ascertain if he could define the second grouping. “Rees-Mogg and the other poster boys, such as Mark Francois, John Redwood, etc.”
Although mainstream media had been heavily clobbered during my exploration, I was somewhat surprised to read an article in The Telegraph (16th January 2023) – a pro-Tory paper – by Sherelle Jacobs. Under the headline Britain is going to rejoin the EU far sooner than anyone now imagines, she argued, “Let’s not beat about the bush. Brexit has become the madwoman in the country’s attic. Demonised, its spirit crushed, it looms over the UK like Mr Rochester’s wife, Bertha Mason, in Jane Eyre. Of course, Bertha – who sets fire to her husband’s bed and rips up Jane’s wedding veil – cannot be blamed for all the chaos that she causes. A rebellious force of nature, she is driven to insanity by repression and neglect. So, too, has Brexit been turned into a national psychodrama.”
Having referenced BREXIT as a British Greek tragedy, I have to confess that my own reading list of genuine ancient tales is rather low. In fact, less than one. But having researched (a little) this literary lake, I am minded to conclude that what our nation is facing is akin to the play Philoctetes, by Sophocles, where Odysseus persuades the hero to join the Trojan War. I trust that you will be able to identify the nuances and I will leave you to read the full transcript ─ but cutting to the chase, I suspect it’s not an “and they all lived happily ever after” production.
© Ian Kirke 2023
Title photograph by Rocco Dipoppa on Unsplash
@ianjkirke