Somewhere, Anywhere, Nowhere

I should be delighted to be proved wrong but it seems to me that the Brexit negotiation is a complete shambles. I have long ago given up on the idea that having promised to enact the result of the binding referendum, the government will actually deliver. Indeed we seem to be heading inexorably in the wrong direction. Far from being “in Europe but not run by Europe,” as William Hague wanted we appear to be bound for “out of Europe but run by Europe,” as Boris Johnson observed.

Charles Moore puts his finger on what has gone wrong in his notes in the Spectator this week.  He points out that, whatever the Brexit campaign promised, could never be delivered because the Brexit campaign are not the government. He goes on to ask, “has it ever happened before that the key destiny-defining policy of a British government has been carried out by leaders most of whose hearts are not in it.” I would go further and observe that many hearts in government are actively against, the gushing Anna Soubry springing immediately to mind. Add to that the implacable opposition of the House of Lords and the BBC, and the whole cause is clouded in doom.

The current debacle merely reinforces the impact of the rise of so-called popularism throughout the world. We face a situation in a new democracy in which David Goodheart's  “Anywheres” are challenged by the “Somewheres.” Now manifest in UK politics, the referendum result won by the Somewheres, who are characterised as being settled and conservative, find the referendum result being delivered by half-hearted Anywheres whose intellect and mobility permit them to move on from any concomitant disadvantage. When next a Conservative Brexit Luddite spouts that they are taking their principled stance for the good of British workers, they should reflect on the hypocrisy of their position and the minority they represent.

There are some in the Conservative Party who fight on but they dare not press their cause too far lest they bring the whole parliamentary house down.  Theresa May is, apparently in complete thrall to (cuddly) “Olly” Robbins and his tribe of index-linked Civil Servants who, with no skin in the game, seem content to pay lip service to the referendum with every Sir Humphrey trick in the book.  Worse, the Prime Minister seems unable to grasp the fundamentals of a strategy - SITUATION, MISSION, EXECUTION.  Hapless though she may be the fence upon which she sits is not a sustainable structure. Thus, the danger of Mrs May’s position is that if pro-Brexit Conservatives are pushed to breaking point they, like Samson, would indeed bring down the roof of the temple thus destroying both the opposition and themselves. 

Perhaps both camps (in the Conservative Party) realise they are on a precipice and are afraid to disturb the equilibrium.  But what neither appear to accept is that option to “do nothing” is not available.  Rather like lawyers being the only winners in divorce cases, the beneficiaries of British indecision and negotiation incompetence will be the powers of Brussels.  Great Britain will, indeed, end up being out of Europe but run by Europe - nowhere?  What a shambles!