Remember Greece
Can something really be that simple and complicated at one and the same time? Can a 500 page Brexit document of complex inter- and intra- national law really be summed up in a short sentence?
Probably not.
How about two lines of dialogue?
Yeah, probably.
May: This is what we want out of a Brexit deal.
Barnier: Go and take a running jump.*
Obviously, Barnier’s exact words would be a little more colourful and May’s contain some, though not much, detail. But the essence is there. It’s close enough in spirit. Britain was never going to get the kind of deal that the thirty odd percent of its adult population who voted Leave would actually want.
And now for the bit I don’t understand.
Why is the above so difficult to understand?
What part of that did anyone seriously believe was not entirely predictable?
Remember Greece. Remember her predicament. Remember the help we Brits, in power or otherwise, afforded her when she challenged Euroland hegemony. A financial crisis caused and created by French and German banks, then laid at the feet of one of Europe’s smallest democracies. A democracy who elected Tsipras and his Syriza party to say no to Europe. A people who asked their political leaders, nay voted in their political leaders, to reject Euro-bullying. A country humiliated and brought to its knees, collectively turned to the bullies and said, “If you don’t sort this mess out, you will lose your money.” And they were met with the retort, “If you don’t do as you are told, we may lose our money but we will crush you.”
Remember what happened?
You should.
So what am I saying? Bullying Europolitics is out roaming the playground again? Not quite. Not exactly. But don’t expect any favours from a knife wielding sociopath who has shown time and time again his willingness to cut off his own nose.
You may gather I am no great Remainer. If anything I am further from the Brexiteers. The whole fiasco only happened as part of an audacious attempt to prevent the Tory party tearing itself to shreds over the EU issue.
Pardon.
It really was that simple.
It isn’t anymore.