The Express has taken time out from beating the drum for Britain’s “Brexit boom” to hit out at “remain moaners” for damaging the economy and weakening Britain’s negotiating position. It is wrong on both counts.
The idea that Remainers are bringing spurious court cases in an attempt to weaken Britain’s negotiating position is without merit. Forcing the government to present a plan to Parliament increases our chances of limiting the damage Brexit could do, while the ability to revoke an Article 50 notification could prevent a destructive hard Brexit.
The paper quotes ‘Economist for Brexit’ Ryan Bourne saying the ability to withdraw an article 50 notification could see “an overdue cyclical economic downturn… used as an excuse for a second vote”.
In claiming that a downturn is “overdue”, Bourne is effectively saying one of two things: either he feels we’re currently experiencing a boom which must surely end soon, or he thinks downturns happen according to a regular timetable.
Given that the IMF were predicting a pick-up in UK growth prior to the referendum, the first interpretation seems implausible. The second can be dismissed out of hand. A better interpretation might be that if a policy you advocated has set the country on a path to slowdown or recession, it’s best to get your excuses in early.
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Together with the article’s headline, this neatly summarises the message coming from the Leave camp: When Brexit doesn’t work out, don’t blame the politicians – and definitely not the papers – that promised you the earth. Instead, blame the people who warned you.
Like the defeated German army in 1918, the Brexiters are building a mythology attributing their failure to a ‘stab in the back’ from an enemy within. The Mail is taking a stand against the notorious “enemies of the people” in the judiciary. Six months after an MP was gunned down by a man screaming “death to traitors”, the Express is helpfully publishing lists of MPs who have “defied the will of the people”. The only group getting a pass are economists, and people are sick of experts anyway.
This does not make for comforting reading; the prospect of British politics returning to normal soon seems slim. Unfortunately, the Brexiters have nowhere else to go. Having ridden a tide of popular anger to victory, they cannot turn around and tell voters that ‘the establishment’ was right after all. Equally, 48% of the country cannot allow this narrative to take hold.
Edited by Hugo Dixon
Takes you guys a long time to see that everything the rabid Brexit camp puts forward is in line with the guidelines Josef Goebbels published to get a population in a war-mood. I have given up on England, I have to admit. The Brexit side is out for blood and the Remain side as yet far too timid to get any sense out of Brexiteers.
I noticed that Liam Fox had the impertanance to blame the Cameron government for not having a Brexit Plan in place. That is equivalent to an arsonist blaming the building owners for not having proper fire deterrence!
However, a major barrier to getting such absurdities highlighted is the tabloid press, as alot of people, particularly in the older generation, greatly rely on the national press to get their news. Alot of people seem very brainwashed by reading the one-sided partial coverage of the EU over many years, and they probably only have the BBC to provide some balance.
The BBC providing balance? Give me strength.
Alexander it’s interesting that Liam Fox accuses of Cameron of having no “Leave Plan” when you consider that the Brexit campaigners didn’t seem to have a plan for leave or remain. That is unless you include £350m for the NHS, Brexit is Brexit or get on with it.
in light of the diplomatic intelligentsia having resigned to those Brexit fanatical ideologues it seriously makes me wonder if Davis ids may and that fantastic farter Dr fox have any common sense between them. there is no plan. there will be no plan. the only plan is to have no plan and then blame it on anyone else but themselves as a lack of planning. gawd help us.
Insane. The only reason the tabloids support Brexit has to be some form of warped nationalism. It will not work as the current model is globalism and the very corporations the tabloids support are unlikely to change course. In our isolation we are unlikely to strike any good deals with the major economic powers as a) we are in a position of weakness and b) what do we MAKE that they want ? Answer, nada. Sooo what are the tabloids gaining out of this? Political power for their masters? I though that the point of Brexit was to get out from under the unaccountable EU thumb?